Cloaked in Red
by TigerLily957
Summary: "You know, Raven, it isn't safe for a young woman to walk through these woods alone. Aren't you afraid?" The ancient folktale wasn't the only thing they needed to beware of.
1. What Time Is It, Mr Wolf?

This _may_ end up being bumped in rating to 'M', but more than likely it will stay 'T'. *Every character in this fic is Teen Titans canon, and is based a bit from the Teen Titans Go! #13 comic. Audience participation and ideas are encouraged.

Enjoy.

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. _

* * *

_**Chapter 1: What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?**_

He spread the daily newspaper in front of him, fingers skimming down the text until he reached the entertainment section. He folded the paper over in half and squinted as he read.

"Robin announces uniform change," he mumbled aloud. Robin's nose scrunched up. "That's—new."

He was aware that a majority of "breaking news" were mostly fiction and fabricated for the enjoyment of local citizens; but over time, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he preferred the media serving juicy tidbits of "information" over a brief paragraph in a newspaper than a television broadcast. His eyebrows furrowed above his mask as he poured over the page of gossip and scandal, lapping up every exaggerated detail. He skimmed over false reports of divorces, marriages, lawsuits, alleged affairs, and overexposed teenage antics—mainly those regarding his team. Robin grimaced at the "quotes" he had reportedly given and flipped the paper over to its backside. It slightly amused him how journalists could dig up the most ridiculous and salacious details of his private life, but even then he knew that he guarded his privacy with such ferocity that the report was absurd.

Robin was adamant that he kept his team's personal phone numbers strictly unlisted from public reach and the Tower isolated from the city so that no one could peek inside. He even felt a sense of violation when the newsboy arrived every Monday morning at his doorstep, serving the daily news, by rowing in a small boat to the island. But he disregarded all disturbances and annoying ticks once he read over the print. He imbibed himself in various scandals surrounding politicians, marinated in the embarrassment of wardrobe malfunctions of celebrities, and sneered at the insistence that his team were "out of control teens". They conducted themselves in a professional manner and he would not submit to these defaming accusations. However, in his downtime, he'd find himself repeating the habit he loathed to kick by picking up an onslaught of the latest diatribe of news; reading it over as if it were the last bit of text he'd ever see.

"Robin."

He jumped up at the sound of a voice calling his name and instantly shoved the paper in a nearby drawer. Robin relaxed a bit when he realized that he had been paged over the office's intercom. He scooted to the right in his chair and pressed on a red button installed in the wall.

"I'm here," he replied. "What's up, Cyborg?"

"Dinner's almost ready. Star's already set the table, come on down."

Robin massaged his throbbing temples as he glanced back at the drawer where he had stuffed the newspaper. A piece of it had stuck out, revealing a title to a new article, but the words seemed to blur together the longer he stared at it. He groaned and leaned back in his chair, contemplating whether he wanted to eat. He gazed at the ceiling before forcing his attention back down to his desk.

"I'll be there in a second."

"Alright."

Robin stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes. He pushed the chair back and strode out of the office, making sure he typed in a code on the keypad to lock it. Robin then turned down a hallway that led to the dining area and was quickly greeted by his three teammates. Cyborg ladled the soup on the stove and grinned.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" he shouted happily, metallic armor that covered his belly jiggled as he spoke. "Take a seat, Rob. I'm almost done."

Robin's stomach growled and he quickly squirmed in his seat, attempting to silence the rumbling.

"I can hear your stomach from over here, dude," Beast Boy chuckled from across the dining table. He quirked an eyebrow. "That hungry?"

Starfire settled into her seat between Robin and Beast Boy. "To which of your nine stomachs are the most famished, Robin?" she inquired.

A red hue spread across Robin's cheeks. He began to readjust his silverware. "Humans don't have nine stomachs, Star."

"Oh."

"Could've fooled us," Beast Boy snickered, causing the red flush of Robin's face to deepen.

He listened half-heartedly as Beast Boy engaged Starfire in a round of "knock-knock" jokes, in which he spent the next few minutes explaining that there wasn't an actual door that someone was knocking on. As the jokes droned on, Robin's mind was preoccupied. He salivated at the thought of hot food on his plate and how quickly he'd devour it. The growling stomach was the only reasonable explanation since he had skipped out on lunch. He watched as the small hand slowly made its way around the wall clock. Robin's stomach grumbled again, and he quickly covered it with his hand. He glanced between his two conversing teammates and, luckily, no one noticed the gurgling noise.

The moment Cyborg slid into his chair, everyone became silent. In his hand, he served them an enormous platter of pasta. In the middle of the table, was a silver tureen of sliced fruit and vegetables that were placed on ice to keep it chilled. He placed the basket of rolls on his left side as he poured glasses of soda from the pitcher for each person.

"After the way Robin's been workin' us in combat practice, I figured we could use a good meal," he began, nodding his head at Starfire as she thanked him for her beverage. "Say hello to homemade spaghetti with Chef Cyborg's Triple-Meat Sauce!" The hungry superheroes inhaled simultaneously as Cyborg dipped the ladle into a pot to dish out the food.

"Cyborg," Robin held his plate out as Cyborg poured the sauce over noodles. "This looks incredible."

Cyborg grinned. "All right, y'all. Four eyes is history, his ghoulies are gone, and we just saved the whole dang universe! Who wants garlic bread?"

Starfire's hand shot up and she bounced in her seat. "Oh, me, please. I shall consume it with gravy and the butter of peanuts."

"Maybe you should go easy on the condiments, Star," Cyborg suggested. "Maybe stick to mustard for now."

She smiled at him. "If you insist."

Cyborg held a silver platter towards her. There were ten pieces of warm garlic bread with a slab of melted butter on top. Starfire didn't feel the need to practice any of her pretentious manners and snatched the bread as she ripped off a chunk with her teeth.

"Oh! Hold on." Cyborg reached in the cabinet behind him a plucked a yellow bottle from the shelf. He handed it to Starfire. "Don't forget the Dijon."

"Thank you!"

Starfire brought the bread to her nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled rich, and she was sure it had packed a delightful taste. Picking up a knife, she applied copious amounts of Dijon mustard on her utensil and slathered it onto the bread. She ripped off a chunk and stuffed the pieces into her mouth. In that moment, she felt that her friends were definitely missing out on the perfect blend of butter and mustard.

"So, Cyborg—" Robin twirled his spaghetti with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. He waited until he swallowed before he spoke. "What did we do to deserve this?"

"Great question. Hey, Star!" She broke out of her mustardy trance to lift her head up and glance at Cyborg. "Remember that purple wiggly Tamaranean pie thingie you made that was full of bugs?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "My stewed grunthmek which made you physically sick?"

"Yeah!" Cyborg chuckled at the remembrance of his illness and turned his attention back to Robin. "Just my way of sayin', 'Thanks for makin' me official chef'."

To his right, Robin nudged his teammate's arm with his elbow. "Not hungry, Beast Boy?"

With his arms tightly folded across his chest, and a scowl that seemed painted on his lips, Beast Boy shook his head. "Not hungry for the meat sauce. Yuck!"

Cyborg sighed. "Come on, man, how could you deny me the all-meat experience?"

"Dude, I've been most of those animals!"

"Yeah? And they're tasty too." Beast Boy pouted, causing Cyborg to chuckle. "Don't trip, B, I made ya some sauce without any meat in it. There's some tofu chunks I cut up too." He tilted his head to the right. "Star, pass him that blue pot next to you."

Starfire handed Beast Boy the bowl of alternative spaghetti and tofu slices, in which he happily piled on his plate. Cyborg licked his fleshy lips and grabbed a handful of bread. He placed the pile on his plate and drenched them in creamy, tangy meat sauce. Cyborg stuffed the bread into his mouth and licked his prosthetic fingers that had been smeared with cream. He spooned out another helping of noodles and saturated them in the sauce and shoved a forkful in his mouth. Beast Boy grimaced as Cyborg chewed with his mouth open, spluttering bits of noodle on the table. Cyborg dabbed his cheeks with a napkin before speaking. "Where's Rae? She's missin' out!"

"Hm," Robin mumbled, taking a sip from his glass. He put the drink down and wiped his lips. "I haven't seen her all afternoon, actually."

"Does she dislike the spaghetti?" Starfire asked.

Cyborg narrowed his eye at Beast Boy, who had shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "What'd you do this time?"

"Hey!" Beast Boy's eyes widened. He jabbed a thumb towards his chest. "Why do _always_ you think it's me?!"

"Because you're usually the one to tick her off."

"And she does not like to be the ticked off," Starfire added, serving herself a second plate of spaghetti.

"Well it wasn't my fault she left her book laying around! How was I supposed to know it was her diary?!"

Robin placed a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "Maybe you should go apologize."

"_Me_?! I'm not the one who always turns breakfast into a battlefield!"

Cyborg shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but after the weirdness that went down today, you should know better than to go messin' with her."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes at their repetitive lectures. It was a typical thing. He mistook the diary for a comic book, big deal. But as their glares fixated on him, he threw his hands up in defeat. "I was trying to be nice about it afterwards! But no matter how hard I try, she still treats me like tofu eggs! You know, she's never _once_ laughed at any of my jokes!" Sensing that his rant hadn't earned him a pass, Beast Boy waved it off. "Eh, it'll be fine. Who wants tofu?"

Cyborg sighed. "Man, nobody wants tofu."

"I do. Hey, could you pass me the bread, Cy?"

"I'm telling you, grass stain, you're not getting _anywhere_ near the bread until you say sorry."

"Dude, pass me the bread!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Look, you know better and this little temper tantrum isn't workin'. You know not to touch anything private, especially someone's diary. House rule number twenty-five: You start messin' with the half demon of the house, you end up stuck somewhere with monkeys ruling the future in an intergalactic limbo." Cyborg motioned to Beast Boy to get up. "Now say sorry and tell her dinner's ready before the food gets cold."

Beast Boy frowned. "But, Rob—"

"Don't look at me," Robin replied, cutting his piece of bread in half. "Cyborg's right."

"Star—"

"I do apologize, Beast Boy." She shook her head. "But I fear that 'the face' will not be effective unless the saying of the sorry to our friend is done."

"Fine, fine." Beast Boy groaned loudly before slinking out of his chair. "Okay, before anybody says anything, if I die and don't come back—that was totally not my fault."

* * *

She poured herself into the text and scoured the book in its entirety. Raven devoured each page in a breathless rapture. At her side sat a black coffee mug; the tea inside had long since been devoid of any warmth. She gently pressed the brim of the mug to her lips and scowled at its cool temperature. Raven returned the mug back to its designated spot and quickly flipped to the next page. To her count, she had five pages to go until she reached the end—and she intended to finish the novel before she went to bed. She read until she felt exhausted as the words merged together in a mush of nonsense. Her mental imagery of swashbuckling adventures and mythological tales were ripped away once she heard an array of loud knocks. Raven glared at her door.

"Hey, Raven!" the voice shouted from the other side. "Cy said dinner's ready. 'Kay?" After a hesitant pause, the person knocked again. "Hey, you in there? _Helloooooo_?"

Swift, rapid knuckled knocks interrupted her silent ambiance and she sighed. She wedged a bookmark in between the pages and let the book close on its own. It made an exhausted sound, like a padded door, and at a distance let out a puff of air. The sound had suggested a softness of the thin pages, and similar to how they would feel under her fingertips. Soft and dry. With a low grunt, she lifted from her sitting position on the floor to silence the pesky presence that dared to interrupt her sanctity of peace and quiet. His annoying behavior buzzed around her like a restless fly that she could never swat away or be rid of. Every word, every knock, every moment, and every breath he'd take infuriated her to no end. She pressed on a small rectangular button, forcing the big, heavy steel doors to open a small crack. Just enough to peek outside and enough hand-width entry. He peered through the crack by pressing his face against the metal surface, eye wildly glancing around the door room.

"Oh hey, you are in there!" he greeted. "It's so dark—"

"Back away from the door, Beast Boy."

"Heh, oops." He swiftly took two large steps back and clamped his hands behind his back. "Better?"

"Much." The eyes rolled to the back of her head as she exhaled heavily through her nose. It was a god-given talent to ensure she had enough patience to not send him flying halfway across the ocean. "What do you want?"

"Alright, here goes—" Beast Boy stiffened himself militarily and cleared his throat. "Sorry 'bout your diary thingy. I shouldn't have snooped. It was totally wrong. BB touchy Rae's book is a no-no. Got it, won't happen again. Consider this apology a peace offering!"

Her nose scrunched. "Peace offering?"

"Like those—um—you know—those leafy branch thingies!"

"You mean _olive branch_?" she corrected. "You're extending the olive branch—with an apology?"

He perked up and grinned. "Yeah, like that!"

"That was surprisingly mature." She pursed her lips, letting the apology sink in, before she lifted an eyebrow. "Cyborg made you apologize?"

Almost wistfully, he slunk his shoulders and nodded. "Kinda, sorta." He rubbed the back of his neck meekly. "But I am _really_ sorry."

"Fine." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Consider yourself—forgiven."

His head titled to the side. "Fine? We're cool? I'm off the hook?!"

"If that means you'll go away now and leave me in peace, certainly."

"Sweet, nice talking to ya!"

With a small wave, he rotated on the ball of his heel and sauntered down the hallway. The regret of a half-sincere apology would come to him in dull moments, such as when he ate dinner or would lay down to go to sleep. It would seep in the deepest depths of his mind and demand that the apology be reexamined. But he was tired of petty arguments or thinking about it. Besides, no amount of analysis would turn back the clock and redo his actions. Beast Boy had to get on with the present and decide to make better choices next time around. Case in point, he had to make things right. It was simply in his nature. Besides, the poor girl hadn't eaten all day—the least he could do was offer her to join him at dinner. Heaving a sigh, he backtracked to door that had still been cracked open.

"Wait, Raven—"

Before the metal doors slid shut, he shoved his hand inside to hold it open, yelping when it smashed against the surface. Her eyes widened once his gloved, bony fingers smashed against the closed doors and instantly pressed the button to fully open it. She wanted to slam her head against the door multiple times, asking Azar why this boy could not last a _millisecond_ without doing something irresponsible. Not only had her reading been interrupted, she now had to help the bruised changeling that was pouting as he narrowed his eyes at the damaged hand.

Just _great_.

She slowly took a deep breath and crouched down beside him. "Are you an _idiot_?" she hissed. "What were you _thinking_?!"

"It hurts!" he yelped, plucking off his left glove with his teeth. The skin that had been concealed underneath the glove began to turn red and blue. He tried to bend his swollen fingers, wincing in pain with each movement. "Aw, man, I think it's broken."

"I doubt it's broken, Beast Boy, probably sprained and bruised. Here, I'll—" The left corner of her eye began to twitch as she weighed her options between strangling him and helping him. Raven frowned, knowing the latter to be the best. "I'll heal it. Come on." Raven ushered him up, and led him inside the room to a small armchair next to her vanity. "It's like your brain isn't attached to your body sometimes. Who puts their hand in between a door that's about to close?" she scolded under her breath once he was situated in the chair.

"I don't know! I was trying to hold it open!"

"Genius idea."

"At the time, it seemed pretty—ya know—_smart_!" he reasoned.

Beast Boy became horror stricken at the thought of being left inside Raven's creepy room, but she shot him a glare so terrifyingly scary that he did not feel confident in arguing against it. "So what now?" Beast Boy cradled his fingertips and clenched his teeth together to subside the thoughts of pain.

She assessed the damage, prodding the red area with an index finger. Her eyebrows furrowed as she conjured a small ball of blue light from her palm. She clamped her hand over his, letting the blue energy spread across his flesh. His tensed expression slowly transfigured to a relaxed one. "This should ease the pain a bit. How does it feel?"

"Not too bad." Beast Boy tried to wiggle his fingers and winced. "I think it's totally crushed inside though."

"Great, it's turning purple."

Beast Boy flashed her a toothy grin. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"You're not funny." Raven let the energy fizzle itself out before making her way to the door. "Wait here, I'm going to get a splint and icepack from the infirmary."

His head shot up, eyes widening in fear. "You're gonna leave me here?! In this creepy room? No way!" he squeaked.

"You just smashed your hand through a door and you're more concerned about waiting for medical attention in a room. Your logic is fascinating. Would you rather Cyborg stretch out your fingers again?" Beast Boy's face paled. "Thought so."

He had to admit, he had always been mildly curious by the various trinkets and, what he considered, "weird voodoo" things in Raven's room. But after getting a good look around as he waited, he thought it looked more like a set of a futuristic sci-fi movie. Beast Boy never pegged Raven as Starfire's type, whose room consisted of stuffed animal, a walk-in closet to accommodate her growing wardrobe for each "mall of shopping" trip, and every shade of pink slathered on the walls. He still didn't know how that that was humanly possible. However, he never imagined Raven having a keen eye for chic and modern décor. The interior of her room was aligned with sleek, metal frames and comfortable, black leather armchairs. Simply put, it was much cleaner than his and the minimalistic furniture gave it a simple touch. A black chandelier suspended from steel wires, he figured Cyborg was given the honor of installing it, and a massive canopy bed had been backed against the far wall. Four glass cabinets with polished mahogany lined the wall across from the bed; inside were various tubes and books. What interested him the most about the cabinets were the gold locks strategically securing it. He figured whatever was kept inside was locked for a reason—impossible for anyone to open—or perhaps it was Beast Boy-proof. He had yet to know.

He gazed at the ivory vanity. Atop its counter were various potions in small beakers and glass cylindrical bottles. It had a large oval mirror that had been framed with gold leaves and hibiscus flowers. Placed at the top of the mirror, was a cherubic angel and devil. Beast Boy shuddered. Sometimes, her décor could get _way_ creepy, but he couldn't bring himself to be bored with the furniture. Perhaps his favorite part was that everything had been infused with lavender and jasmine. Over the years, he became particularly fond of that scent.

His eyes lingered on the bookcase and he began to carefully walk toward it, checking the ground every so often to make sure he wasn't stepping on anything dangerous. Her bookcase was made from redwood and designed with eight pieces so that it was in the shape of a rectangle. The shelves at the top held her heavier volumes and thick novels; the shelves at the bottom carried her flimsy paperbacks and magazines. Her bookcase had been fastened to the wall and almost reached her ceiling. He wondered why she hadn't used a ladder yet, but quickly remembered that she could easily levitate to reach her desired book. Everything appeared organized and convenient, very Raven-esque if he did say so himself. He ran his non-injured hand over the spine of each book, plucking one from the stack.

Beast Boy made his way, with book in hand, to the vanity and had a seat in the armchair. He placed it on top of the counter, coughing hysterically as dust from the cover spread everywhere. The book was archaic and heavy, but its leather cover felt so soft and delicate. He ran his thumb over the faded red bindings and fingered the gold lettering gently before he opened the cover.

"Fairy tales and Folklore." A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips and he chuckled. "Fairy tales? Really, Raven?"

He skimmed over the table of contents, attempting to find a story that appealed to him. Once he found a suitable choice, the paper rustled as he thumbed through the book to find its page. Beast Boy smoothed out the paper of the chapter and grinned.

"Little Red Riding Hood," he read aloud.

The words appeared and disappeared as his eyes flit across the pages. Most of the story had been written in Old English, so Beast Boy picked apart words and anything that seemed important from the meshed sentences. Before he could become fully immersed in the tale, the doors slid open, revealing Raven and Cyborg standing in between the entrance.

"Man, when you said you were gonna say sorry, I didn't mean go injure yourself!" Cyborg shouted.

The changeling grinned. "Accidents happen, dude."

"Yeah, well Rae says you've got quite the boo-boo. I think we've gotta take some x-rays in the infirmary."

"Aw, man," Beast Boy whined, lifting up from his seat. "I hate x-rays."

"It won't be long," Cyborg insisted, with Raven nodding beside him. They turned their backs and began to walk down the hall. Cyborg yelled over his shoulder, "Come on, B! Let's go take a look."

As Beast Boy rose to follow them out, shaking the vanity, a small glass bottle toppled over and spilled puddles of steaming potion across the book's page.

"Whoops."

"Beast Boy," Raven called. "Are you coming?"

"Uh—" His eyes widened as he began to readjust the bottle and wipe the liquid away from the drenched pages. "Yeah! Just a second." When it did not dry, he heaved a sigh and quickly shut the book. Beast Boy strode toward the exit, and placed the book back in its spot before he left.

"Hey, wait up for me, guys!" he shouted as the doors shut behind him.

From the stacks of wedged novels on the bookshelf, one began to glow yellow. Clouds of dark smoke erupted from the pages in the book, twisting in the air and landing on the ground. As it spread, it seared through the tips of the carpet and formed a small crater. A fine, green mist rose from the ground in a relentless stream of wispy puffs. The mist rose in small swirls, before it fully dissipated into thin air.

A pair of green eyes quickly darted around the room, surveying its surroundings before it sneered. It was large and grotesque, with black matted hair and huge twisting incisors that protruded upwards. The massive figure rose on its haunches and stooped its head low as its contorted face stared at door. It growled lowly, causing the deep rumble to shake its entire body as saliva drooled from its pendulous lips.

* * *

"Grandma?"

She gripped the woven basket in her left hand, tapping her unpolished fingernails against the smooth handles. The young girl glanced down at the concrete. She didn't remember going down this path as she was instructed. This didn't look anything like her village either. Perhaps she had taken a wrong turn, but this place certain wasn't the way to her grandmother's house. She passed a lamppost, as its dim light shimmered against her silky, red cloak. Blonde hair fell in bouncy curls to her shoulders as her hazel eyes glanced around, waiting for her grandmother's response.

Her black heels were too short and uncomfortable against the pavement, her dress was obviously not weather-friendly, and her red cloak was too long and snaked around her ankles. Quite frankly, she was freezing outside in the cold. The young girl glanced over her shoulder, eyes softening at the figure behind her.

"Hello," she greeted, teeth chattering in the bitter cold. "Can you help me? I believe I'm lost."

It snarled at her, exposing three rows of sharpened teeth. Its black muzzle dripped with a gelatinous, brown snot and pieces of dead skin flaked its green eyes. It scratched its nails against the concrete as blood-streaked fangs glinted over its rubbery gums. The creatures ears were on stalk and its paws sprawled out as it slowly advanced toward her. It grinned menacingly, salvia oozing from between gaps of its teeth. The creature was large with a brindled, black coat and a tail that curved like a hook.

She smiled, turning her body around to face it. "What time it is, Mr. Wolf?"

The creature pounced on her. Its vicious jaws snapped within six inches of her face, with a force that would have taken away an ear, or shredded her cheek, if it had come any closer. The girl screamed; eyes wide with horror, mouth open, and her pale face became gauntly immobile. It began to devour her, tearing strips of flesh from the lower half of her head, which in the time that had lapsed over a half-minute was stripped simply to bone. Its nails dug deeply into the palms of her hand, stripping away flesh as it snapped at her neck. The creature lapped up the residual blood on his paws and grinned at his slain prey.

For the answer to her question was simple: _What time is it, Mr. Wolf?_

"Dinner time."

* * *

"_The wolf is a carnivore incarnate and he's as cunning as he is ferocious; once he's had a taste of flesh then nothing else will do."_

_— Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories)_


	2. Systematic Carnage

The responses from you all were so wonderful, I really do appreciate it! Don't forget to read and leave a little review, I hope to do a mailbag soon. :)

If you really like the Beast, clap your hands. *clap, clap*

* * *

**_Chapter 2: Systematic Carnage_**

Drifting in the sky above his catatonic body was the aurora borealis. Its light pink aura had a darker shade of green and purple clinging onto its ends. The northern lights moved fluidly through the sky; twisting, receding, and stretching as it covered most of the horizon.

His immobile body had been chilled by the relentless gusts of wind and numbed by the frost nipping at the tips of his fingers and nose. The temperature outside began to drop steadily, almost equivalent to his current body temperature. He hadn't been dressed in the proper amount of layers as advised, only clothed in a thin gray shirt and torn jeans. The green hue of his skin began to drain against the blend of colors blazing in the sky that swayed above him. Though the weather had been below average, the lights began to emit a soft glow that encased his body in its warmth. The changeling began to twitch underneath the unearthly apparition of lights that blanketed him. His shocked body was sending his brain weird signals and he was sweating profusely. Beast Boy's back began to ache due to the odd elongation of his spine. His insides were twisting around and because of the sudden shift in his fluid level, he felt a desperate need to upchuck.

The queasiness didn't subside as he kept getting this strange feeling that his bed was rocking. He slowly opened his eyes, only to shut them promptly. The brightness seared into his retinas and he squeezed his eyelids shut in fear of becoming blind. With caution, Beast Boy slowly peeled his eyelids back and squinted. The world before him came into focus like a freshly developed photograph; every colour warm and vibrant.

"What the—"

He woke up to find he was no longer in his bottom bunk, but inside a gentle, swaying boat on the sea. Beast Boy leaned over the boat and splashed his face with water. His dark green hair plastered wetly against his forehead and his shirt was soaking wet. As Beast Boy glanced around, he found that there weren't any oars. There was nothing left inside to assist him while he paddled away, so he allowed the soft waves to guide the boat that was drifting.

He wondered if he was in a limbo. Perhaps heaven, perhaps hell.

Before he could delve into his surroundings, Beast Boy was shoved forward. The boat began to pull strokes before a succession of tremendous waves came rushing in, turning the boat in different directions. He gripped the sides, keeping his head low as the water lashed out at him. The small boat ran aground on the shore of an island, that had not previously been seen, its bottom thudding as it glided across the wet sand. Beast Boy's eyes widened.

That was not there before.

And things were getting _very_ creepy.

It looked as ridiculously beautiful as every tropical island he had seen on travel guides. The colors were too intense and rich to be true. There was a shimmer to the azure of the sea, an immaculate white beach, a warm, elemental green of the rain forest. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hello?!" Beast Boy shouted, wincing as a flock of green birds emerged from the treetops.

Beast Boy's eyes swiveled from left to right in search of any response back. His echo grew louder until it softened and became nonexistent. Since the island couldn't have been more than a mile wide, when Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder, the sea had disappeared from sight. It was lost behind a impenetrable large screen of thick vegetation. The atmosphere was damp and heavy, yet familiar. Beast Boy's pointed ears were on stalk as he could hear thousands of insects and wildlife active among the thin leaves. He decided that there wasn't any reason to stay inside the boat, so he lifted himself up and went ashore.

He walked inland a few yards and found himself stumping over vines as he wandered. He could feel the eyes of various animals watch him carefully from within the burrows of dark shadows and Beast Boy shuddered. He had seen many of them before, but finally relaxed a bit when he realized they all were green. Perhaps they weren't as dangerous as he thought since they allowed him to pass without trouble. He turned to his right and furrowed his eyebrows at a small figure with a mop of blonde hair. Beast Boy began to walk toward him.

"Hey, you! Little dude!"

The young boy gave a yell and leapt up at an overhanging vine. He swung back and forth as his tiny legs jerked. A soft breeze sifted through his hair and he giggled. The green, thick-soled boots he wore looked extremely heavy for his small feet and he glanced down at Beast Boy; blue eyes widening in fear. He dropped from the vine and ran.

"Hey!" Beast Boy shouted. He started to chase after him. "Wait!"

The boy hid among the bushes, waiting for the green teen to jump out at him. He rummaged the jungle floor for small pebbles and sticks and began hurling them with a desperate intensity at Beast Boy. The changeling avoided each object with ease, groaning in frustration when he found that he could not shift into a smaller animal.

He needed to find out where he was.

"Stop!" Beast Boy pleaded, advancing toward the bush. The young boy began to crawl away as if he were about to run again. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

He turned towards Beast Boy, but did not say a word. The child stood there, letting the wedged sticks fall from in between his fingers. Beast Boy held up his hands and grinned. He closed the gap between them. "See? I'm a friendly dude. Not gonna hurt you."

Children usually loved Beast Boy and formed large crowds to meet him on the streets. However, this young boy remained huddled behind the bush. Beast Boy could see his hands trembling. His expression softened.

"What's your name?"

He used the leaves as a shield between him and the stranger. The young boy opened his mouth, wanting to talk to the changeling, but not knowing what to say or how to say it. After a minute of hesitation, he caved.

"Gar."

Beast Boy raised his eyebrows. "Gar?" The young boy nodded, peeking his head over the bush. Beast Boy's grin grew wider. "That's awesome! You wanna know a secret?"

Gar pursed his lips, contemplating whether to ask before he tilted his head. He looked Beast Boy up and down, taking in his green features. "What?"

"My name's Gar too." He kneeled down to the boy's height and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Gar."

Gar eyed Beast Boy's outstretched hand carefully before he sidestepped from the bush and approached the changeling. He wrapped his tiny hand around Beast Boy's finger and shook it. "You've got big hands," he chuckled.

"I know," Beast Boy laughed. "They used to be totally smaller." He watched as Gar put his palm against his. The young boy was awestruck at their different sizes.

Gar looked up at him. "I know why you're here." He tugged on Beast Boy's thumb, ushering him up. "Come on. I'll show you."

* * *

They cut their way through dense and suffocating undergrowth. During the impromptu trip, a green parrot perched itself on Gar's shoulder. Beast Boy attempted to shoo it away, but was convinced by Gar to let it stay. The bird pecked Beast Boy's hand.

"Bad BB," Gar scolded. He stroked the top of the parrot's head and giggled. "He's a nice birdie."

"_Sure_ he is," Beast Boy grumbled, cradling his injured hand.

"Bad BB, bad BB," it squawked in a croaky voice as it flapped its wings. "Nice birdie, nice birdie. Bad Beast Boy." Beast Boy mockingly stuck his tongue out at the bird.

Gar glanced at the parrot perched on his shoulder and grinned. "BB tells funny jokes."

The two fought through the humid air, which hung heavy and still. Trees that were tall as skyscrapers surrounded them. A dim green light shone through the vast canopy of leaves. The rain forest seemed to have a heartbeat of its own and the deeper they advanced, the warmer it got. The sudden screech from BB caused the them to stop as they let a group of green monkeys swing past them through the vines overhead. It seemed like every animal they crossed paths with knew they were there.

So far, they had been lucky. For Beast Boy, he considered himself extremely lucky since he couldn't shift into any animal form. Therefore, he was unable to protect himself and Gar from danger. Overall, the environment was pretty serene. They avoided attacks by green leeches, mosquitoes, and stinging ants. The much deadlier animals, such as venomous snakes and tigers, had left them alone. They crossed a river, with Gar pointing out that it had been free of piranhas.

"Or they're not hungry yet," he added. "Come on, big Gar, this way!"

Beast Boy gulped.

Three green stallions were galloping away at a furious pace, and Beast Boy gently grazed the mane of the smallest one as it breezed past them. The terrain was full of birds and insects. Bats took off in a group of wings as their small forms fluttered away into the dim twilight sky. Gar reached up and tugged on Beast Boy's fingers. Beast Boy looked down at the small boy and smiled.

"What's up?"

"We're here."

The walls were of dark gray stone that had been covered with moss and tangled vines. It towered about twenty feet above them.

"He's here, he's here!" BB squawked, shifting uncomfortably on Gar's shoulder. Gar stroked BB's feathers.

"Come on, guys," Beast Boy mumbled, grabbing onto Gar's hand. They entered the cave as quickly as possible, letting the remnants of light lead the way. The walls had stretched away from them as far as the naked eye could see. They were miles deep in a dark cave of unending passageways with no clue of how to get out. As the remaining light dwindled and eventually died altogether, they heard a thunderously savage howl echo from somewhere in the cave. Gar let out a small whimper as Beast Boy squeezed his hand reassuringly. Suddenly, with a deafening grinding noise that shook cave, the walls began to shift. When it stopped moving, it exposed a bright corridor with only one path to take.

And it was in the direction of the Beast.

A prolongation of the head between the eyes formed a snout. It breathed heavily, letting out a wispy steam whenever it exhaled. The furry werebeast watched them approach it with caution and growled. Its mouth, which had been open, was adorned with large mandibles and fangs while the its green eyes looked like crystals of cut glass. Beast Boy stood in front of the Beast and let go of Gar's hand. The little boy raced to the corner of the room, hugging his knees close to his chest. BB flew from its spot on Gar's shoulder to Beast Boy's. The Beast snarled at the parrot perched on its master's shoulder. Gently lifting a paw, it dipped its head low, and circled around Beast Boy in a predatory fashion.

Beast Boy could feel its hot breath on the nape of his neck when it spoke in a deep whisper. "Do not fear me."

"I _don't_," Beast Boy replied, wincing when his voice cracked under pressure. The Beast chuckled lowly, each laugh reverberating in the room. Beast Boy cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at the large figure that continued to circle around him. "Why'd you bring me here?"

The Beast had a shaggy mane of green and its giant paws padded soundlessly on the dirt floor. Its powerful muscles beneath fur creaked with each movement and it unsheathed its sharp claws. "It is not I. _You_ have summoned _me_."

Beast Boy quirked an eyebrow. "I did?"

It sat on its mottled fur haunches as its wrinkled face stared the changeling. It gave off an aura of hate and disgust which had expressed in its narrowed, slit black eyes. "Subconsciously."

"Oh." Beast Boy let out a shaky breath that he wasn't even aware he was holding. His eyes surveyed the area, taking in its intricate rock formation, before it eventually met the Beast's. "Where am I?"

"My labyrinth." Huge, twisting fangs jutted upward when it opened its mouth and Beast Boy couldn't help but shudder at the thought of the Beast slaughtering another animal between those teeth. "The deep recesses of our mind, more specifically."

"Kinda like Raven's mind? Just—" He paused. "No mirror, huh?"

"Triggered through your subconscious, as of now you are asleep in the physical world. You haven't yet mastered accessing it voluntarily as she has." The monstrous Beast reclined over his master's head, saliva drooling silently from his lips. "Perhaps you should learn."

"Uh—no thanks." He grinned. "It's kinda cool." Beast Boy's hand reached up toward his shoulder and he gently scratched the back of BB's head. The parrot happily flapped its wings. "Lots of animals here."

"They are apart of us. Every single one."

"Ah, animal kingdom stuff." Beast Boy stabbed a thumb toward the little boy huddled in the corner. "Gar too?"

The Beast glanced at Gar and nodded. Gar looked up before averting his gaze from the werebeast. "He is our youth. His presence maintains a major part in your innocence and naïvety. He is your weakest counterpart. Hence, his form before contracting Sakutia and transformation. You were a curious little boy."

"Oh." Beast Boy glanced at little Gar, amazed at his younger doppelgänger. He then looked at his own green hands and frowned. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I would be obliged to answer."

"Uh..cool, cool." Beast Boy scratched the back of his earlobe. "Um, no offense but, why'd I _summon_ you?" he asked, using air quotes for emphasis.

"Something disturbs our slumber." The Beast slunk behind Beast Boy, snarling as it stalked around him. "It threatens us—the carnivoran. A canid."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "A _dog_?"

"Perhaps a caniformia," the Beast growled, lips curling over its top fangs. "I sense its presence in our territory. It's strong."

"Ah, dude," Beast Boy shook his head. He processed the information, while keeping a watchful eye on the creature sneaking around him. "That's pretty weird. Do you know what it wants?"

"I do not."

"Is it—" His eyes swiveled from left to right. "Is it one of—us?"

"It does not carry our scent."

Beast Boy sighed impatiently and put his hands on his hips. "Well—what do you want me to do about it?"

"Be rid of it—or _I_ will."

"Uh, I'm not gonna go around the whole city sniffing for evil dogs. That's nuts!" Beast Boy screeched.

The Beast stopped pacing around him, dipping its head low enough to meet eye level with Beast Boy. It narrowed its eyes. "Would I have reason to mislead you?"

"Uh—n-no! No, not really," Beast Boy stammered. He gulped. "But I dunno, I'm not gonna hurt any animal. Maybe you—_I_—accidentally sniffed a rabid pet earlier or somethin'."

"Koo-koo!" the parrot squawked. BB flapped its wings. "Kooky dog. Kooky dog. Kooky Beast!"

The Beast lunged for the parrot. "I'll snap your neck, you herbivorous _pest_!" it hissed.

"Dudes! Chill!" Beast Boy scolded. He looked at Gar who had began to sob in the corner. The two animals settled themselves. "You're scaring him. Look, I'll check out the dog park with Cy later if it'll make you feel a little bit—calm. Maybe we'll sleep easy? Just knock it off with the fighting."

"As you wish." The Beast bowed its head. "Forgive me."

There was a terrible rumble from deep in the belly of the earth. BB let out a throaty cry and flew over to Gar. Beast Boy fell to his knees as the earth began to shift as if it were a wave on the sea. The rock cave crumbled into its own foundation, trapping their occupants inside. Beast Boy's eyes widened. "Wait—what's going on?!"

"You are awaking. We will meet soon."

A sinkhole formed beneath him and Beast Boy began to slide. He dug his nails into the ground, screaming as his grip began to falter. He looked up frantically as the Beast backed away. "Wait—"

Every muscle in Beast Boy's body had knotted up as realization flooded in. He slipped through the sinkhole, tumbling and screaming through the endless limbo that filled the spinning darkness. His trip caused him to become terror-stricken and awestruck all at once.

Such intensity from the vision overwhelmed him. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, unable to cease the rapid twitching of his closed eyes. Occasionally, Beast Boy's brow would furrow as if it was an indication that a thought was forming, but then his face would relax again into the same unconscious stupor. His eyes shot open.

He was awake. He was alive. He was in Titans Tower.

_Good_.

He awoke to soft sheets of his bottom bunk and the morning light that had trickled in through the blinds. Beast Boy shed himself of the remaining glimpses of his dream. Slowly and hesitantly, Beast Boy uncovered his face with his hands; he blinked, closed his eyes for a brief second, and blinked again. He sat up slowly, dragged his feet off the side of his bed, and rubbed his knuckles against eyes. Beast Boy lazily stretched his arms above his head and stifled a yawn. He watched his lanky legs dangle above the green carpet.

"Stupid dream," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes once again. "I need to lay off the soda before bed."

He had moved carefully, in a conscious act of will, and his face drained of color. Each movement he made was precise, details in his room that had gone amiss were obsessively noticed. He felt each of his senses preternaturally alert to sound, smell, sight, the deep timbre of Robin's distant voice. His body had shifted into a bloodhound, stealthily stalking around his room. The canine snarled.

Something felt _off_.

The scent was putrid. It was rancid and repellant, it made his stomach churn with a gut-wrenching sensation, it was brain numbingly foul.

It was of another animal—that had marked its territory.

He narrowed his eyes, and his ears stood erect on stalks as he circled the room, sniffing all of the furniture. He lifted his head and barked. It was coming from outside and it was getting stronger. His body had shifted back into his human form and he felt his body crumple against the carpet. Beast Boy's mouth opened and and closed uncontrollably, causing rancid saliva to drip onto the ground. He could feel the Beast's claws scraping against the back of his head, begging for release.

_I told you._

His mind was surging with perplexity. Beast Boy's eyes flickered a brief second. They didn't widen, but unhurriedly formed into black slits as he directed his glare at the door.

* * *

The morning sky had been smoothed over by soft shades of peach and lavender. It was fairly clear outside and the dreary morning shadows were now distant. Starfire awakened early each morning to watch the sunrise. It was, by far, her favorite part of the day. After all, she could only see so many on Tamaran, but it hadn't compared to the beauty of Earth's sunrises.

She nestled herself on the circular sofa, cosy with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes transfixed on the television screen. A small grin tugged at the corner of her lips as she hummed along to the theme song. She reached for the remote control and turned the volume up so loud that the windows were vibrating. Only did she pout when a grumpy Cyborg snatched the control and turned it down to a suitable volume. She had the subtitles on, laughing wildly with tears streaming down her face as the cartoon characters pranced around on the television screen.

"World of Fungus again?" he called over his shoulder. Near the dining area, Cyborg began to set all the stacks of food. One section was a table filled with continental breakfast, the other a vegetarian meal.

Starfire beamed at him. Her head nodded. "It is a twenty-four hour marathon."

"Oh joy," he muttered under his breath.

The main ops room doors rumbled and quickly slid open with a low hiss. Robin entered the room, newspaper in hand and coffee mug in the other. He lifted the mug to his lips and took a big gulp. The color of Robin's face was stained with green. The coffee was horrendous. Listening to his sickened taste buds, he drained every last drop of "coffee" from the cup and his mouth into the nearby sink. He disposed of the mug, washing his tongue and gurgling with cold water. Starfire glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

"Good morning, Robin."

"Morning, Star," he warbled in between each gurgle of water.

"Did you enjoy your coffee?"

His eyes widened and he shut off the water. Robin dapped his lips with his shirt. "Um."

Cyborg began to chuckle, and quickly silenced himself, upon receiving Robin's lethal glare. Robin's cheeks flushed red and he fiddled with the newspaper in his hands. "It was—a bit—sour. Needed more sugar."

"Coffee requires sugar?" She frowned as realization set in and shook her head. "My apologizes, Robin! I poured half a cup of the salt." Starfire tapped her chin. "Perhaps I should have used sugar."

"Yeah," he squeaked, wiping off his tongue with a napkin. "Maybe."

"Would you like to partake in watching a World Of Fungus marathon on the television? Perhaps it will make you feel better."

He grinned. "Sorry, I think I'll pass this time. It's fine—really."

She returned the smile before turning her attention back to the television screen. "Very well."

"Cyborg."

"Robin." Cyborg nodded at his leader as Robin approached the continental breakfast table. "Hope you didn't forget that you promised B and I a free day at the arcade! No Tower watch today."

Robin slid into his chair opposite of Cyborg and served himself an enormous platter of eggs, bacon, and fruit slices. Cyborg poured a glass of orange juice from the pitcher and handed it to Robin. "Here, it'll wash out that coffee aftertaste."

"Thanks," Robin chuckled, accepting the glass. He took a sip and nodded. "I know, you both can still go to the arcade. Star," She lifted her head, twisting her body around to face Robin. "Do you mind keeping the Tower on watch with Raven? I'm gonna run some errands today."

Starfire's grin grew wider. She placed a hand over her heart. "It would be my dutiful honor. May I ask where are you doing the heading off to run the errands?"

He used his butter knife and fork to cut the eggs and bacon into chewable pieces. "Police station." Starfire and Cyborg groaned simultaneously. "Handling some minor paperwork." They groaned even louder. Starfire flopped back dramatically on the sofa. Robin dropped his utensils on the plate and sighed. "I know. The chief is thinking about opening up a new case, I wanted to at least have a Titans representative assist him."

"Will we be required to take on the city patrols again, Robin?" she called, picking up the remote to flip through different channels.

"Not sure. Depends on how heavy the case is, Star. We can never be too safe."

"Well good for you, Rob." Cyborg patted his leader on the back. "Doing your job for the greater good. I'll toast to that." He lifted his glass of juice in the air and tilted it toward Robin. Robin obliged the gesture.

"Something like that. Hey Cy, before you leave, if you don't mind—check out the security cameras from last night? Maybe fill out a printed report?" Robin pressed the brim of the cup to his lips before his eyes widened. "Oh, include some screenshots too."

Cyborg furrowed his eyebrow. "Uh, sure, but why?"

"Nothing major. Just found some weird looking scratches on the walls this morning. Typical security protocol."

Cyborg smirked. "You sure BB isn't growing his claws out again?"

"It's a possibility." Robin shrugged his shoulders. "I just want to make sure."

"Well alright. I'll leave it in the office for ya."

"Thanks."

* * *

He found that he was having a difficult time washing himself of the previous dream. The frightening part was that Beast Boy didn't know if it was an actual dream or not. The shower had a panel with more than a hundred options that he could choose from. Cyborg always had tendencies to go overboard with his new installations. He could choose to regulate the water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils, and massaging sponges. But all he wanted to do was choose to cleanse his nose of that awful scent.

He stepped out the shower, clothed himself, brushed his teeth, and gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Instead of struggling with knots in his wet hair, Beast Boy simply gave it a messy tousle and unlocked the door. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he caught a whiff of the scent again.

"Maybe it's the vents," he mumbled.

Leaving the bathroom, Beast Boy cautiously tiptoed down the hall. He sniffed, finding the scent growing stronger with each step he took. At the end of the hallway, he stopped dead. From an open door, at the opposite end of the hall issued a small shaft of light. In the dim glow, appeared Raven with a book in hand. Her eyes traveled up to Beast Boy, and slightly narrowed as she watched him stare at the air vent.

"Beast Boy," she greeted, heading in his direction and toward the exit.

"Yeah." Her left eye slightly twitched as he kept his focus on the air vent, responding dully to her acknowledgment.

"How is your finger?"

"Frozen." His eyes widened as he processed his blank response. "Wait, what? I mean—" Beast Boy glanced down at his hand. It had looked smooth and the swelling had gone down. "_Oh_. Yesterday. Right! Oh, my hand's good."

"Good."

He averted his attention back to the air vent when she slowly walked away. Her face was softly flushed with sleep and her dark eyes were droopy under their heavy lids. Her arms ached, but then again, not getting much sleep normally did that to her. Beast Boy's nose wrinkled, he snarled in disgust.

It was strong on her.

"Is that new perfume?" he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows, glancing back over her shoulder at him.

"What?"

"New perfume—new—" He took in a deep breath. "That's what's you're wearing, right?"

Raven's hand hovered over the keypad and the hallway doors slid open. "I'm not _wearing_ any perfume," she replied, response coming out more like a question than statement. Raven tilted her head to the side. He looked paler than normal. "Beast Boy, are you alright?"

His gaze traveled down from the air vent to the floor. He stumbled backwards, bumping into the wall behind him. A large scratch mark swiped across the wall. He felt the color drain from his face.

"Beast Boy?"

She watched as the whites in his eyes turned a pure black, eventually engulfing the green irises and turning them black as well. The corners of his lips curled upward in a snarl. His lethal stare felt painful and piercing, as he were going to attack her. She looked at his clenched fists then back at his face again with widened eyes. He shook his head violently as they returned to their normal color.

"I need some air. Yep," he huffed, marching past her.

"Are you sure—"

"I'm good—just peachy. Need some air. Good talk, Rae."

The doors behind him slid shut.

Raven stared at the closed door then looked back up at the air vents. Her fingers gripped the collar of her cloak and she inhaled deeply. No perfume from what she could tell, if anything she thought she smelled the same. She shrugged her shoulders and began to walk through the metal doors as they opened.

"And weirder things have happened."

* * *

The black car came screeching around the corner, skidding to a stop in front of the alleyway. The door swung open, revealing a middle-aged officer. He pressed the pager to his lips as he ran. "I've got an eye on the target! I'm on 8th street. Get some backup here!"

The cop raced down the dark pathway, ignoring the slashes of wind whipping across his face in the nighttime breeze. He huffed tiredly, gun hanging idly at his hip, as the streetlight shone on his crisp blue uniform. Perhaps as he reached the dead end, staring at the dark figure, he planned to do nothing more than what his daily donut routine would have. His fingers trembled as he held up the gun.

"Police! Stay where you are!" he shouted, inching closer to the brick wall.

The creature crouched low, green eyes sharp and narrowed, residual blood foaming from its mouth. The officer's eyes widened and he lowered his weapon.

"The hell is that thing," he whispered, backing away as slowly as possible. His hand fumbled with his pager and his body trembled as he spoke. "We've got a—a—monster on the loose. I need backup now!"

The man's eyes widened, watching the creature. Its face was shadowed by the dark surroundings but it had nerve-wrecking chill about it. It crawled toward him with a hunch, leaning slightly to the man. Its mouth was watering before profusely foaming. The police officer quickly became unsettled by how uncivilized the thing seemed.

Large, contorted fangs protruded from the creature's cavernous mouth; a hot, gooey saliva substance dribbled down its matted fur. Its body rumbled as it chuckled; head tilted to the right.

"A _monster_ thing?"

The police officer's eyes grew wider when it spoke and he dropped his pager, promptly turning on the ball of his heel and running away.

It pounced on his back and swiped the back of his head, slicing it off with one vicious blow, and mauling his slain body. The veins and arteries spouted up from his body in a prodigious quantity of blood. His head, when it fell on the pavement, giving it a slight bounce as it rolled away. It sunk its fangs into the cadaver's body, cleaving away the heart and splitting it in half. The bloodied man's intestines spewed onto the concrete in pinkish brown coils. It lapped up the pool of warm blood, body trembling with excitement. A stream of blood dripped down its fangs, and it ran its tongue over the red stain.

Satisfied, but not satiated.

* * *

_Imagine that the keeper of a huge, strong beast notices what makes it angry, what it desires, how it has to be approached and handled, the circumstances and the conditions under which it becomes particularly fierce or calm, what provokes its typical cries, and what tones of voice make it gentle or wild. Once he's spent enough time in the creature's company to acquire all this information, he calls it knowledge, forms it into a systematic branch of expertise, and starts to teach it, despite total ignorance, in fact, about which of the creature's attitudes and desires is commendable or deplorable, good or bad, moral or immoral. _

_— Plato (The Republic)_


	3. A Wounded Mind

Ahh. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. Hope you continue to read and review! :)

* * *

**Chapter_ 3: A Wounded Mind_**

She rode the elevator at least twice since living in Titans Tower. The last time had been three years ago when Cyborg was still in the process of remodeling the T-shaped building; it was a dark and creaky cell that rattled and smelled like sour milk. It made Starfire cringe when she reminisced about the day she was trapped inside for an hour. The experience prompted her to swear off an elevator ride in favor of flying. However, she couldn't resist trying out Cyborg's newest installation and her body ached from all the training she had done earlier.

"I suppose I shall give the new elevator a try," she mumbled, rubbing her arms up and down to rid herself of goosebumps. Starfire gently pressed her hand against a small glass panel. A red sensor scanned her palm to read her fingerprints, verified it, and activated the elevator.

"_Welcome, Starfire_," it greeted. "_Your destination?_"

"The third floor, please."

She stepped inside the contraption and winced when the doors slammed shut with a loud clank. The walls of the elevator were made of glass so that she could watch people on the ground floor shrink to ant-size as she shot up into the air. Her left hand gripped around a silver handrail and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Please do not do the stalling, please do not do the stalling," she whispered to herself. She opened one eye and seen that there weren't any buttons inside. Starfire gulped. "Please do not stall, friendly talking elevator." It suddenly stopped and she jerked forward. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly exited when the doors opened.

Nobody ever used the vacant rooms there nor did anyone stop at that particular floor unless they needed to use to crime lab. She walked away from the elevator and turned a corner that led directly to his private office. It was a particularly large room that occupied the corner of the building without any windows and only one entrance. It was also four floors away from the nearest bathroom. She had no idea how he could spend hours in such a confined space and she knew that it was a risky move to bother Robin while he was working. Now that she approached the door, her mouth had gone dry and her heart was beating more rapidly than it usually did. She raised an index finger to the buzzer, then quickly lowered it to her side.

Not a single response.

She pressed her ear against the door, eyes widening upon hearing the sound of shuffled papers. "Perhaps he did not hear the ring," she whispered. Starfire raised her hand a second time and pressed the button again. As the steel door stood towering above her, she let out a shaky breath. The dread and anxiety made her body feel numb. She relented and decided to knock on the door.

"Robin?" She twiddled her fingers around a lock of hair. "Greetings. It is I, Starfire." Almost effortlessly, the heavy steel doors slid apart and opened for her.

"Come in."

Her nose wrinkled as she waded through a litter of discarded pencils, crumpled paper, and newspaper clippings. Over time, the smell of coffee and furniture polish intermingled. It was a fairly clean room of steel panels and black furniture. In a state of half-organized clutter, he sat in a black leather swiveling chair next to a mahogany desk. It had four drawers on its left-hand side, several stacks of paperwork in thick manila folders, pens in a silver tin can, heavy volumes leaning against one another on a single bookshelf, and an empty water dispenser.

Robin pressed two fingers against the side of his head and massaged his temples in a circular motion. He glanced at another page of the flimsy book set before him; each paragraph had been in fine print and difficult for Starfire to understand considering her distance from the desk. Robin read over the text, then closed his eyes and mouthed the words. He groaned and skimmed over the page a second time. His thoughts became groggy and incoherent since he spent the entire evening and early morning stuck in the room. After ten minutes, Robin refused to ingest another paragraph before glancing over his shoulder and giving her a small smile. "Hey, Starfire."

"Good morning, Robin." He idly flipped to another page. She tilted her head toward the desk. "I am sorry to interrupt you. I do understand that you are currently busy."

"It's fine. I'm just—" Robin turned his attention back to the book, letting his voice trail off. He had forgotten his previous statement and resumed reading.

Robin slouched in the chair as he began to look over the text. Occasionally, he'd catch himself exhibiting poor posture and straightened up by pushing his shoulders back to sit taller, more erect. He mumbled under his breath that he didn't want to end up hunchbacked in a few years. Starfire nodded and placed herself on the edge of the water dispenser as she quietly waited for him to finish. Her eyes wandered over to where he was seated. The surface of Robin's desk was equally half-cluttered: an idle laptop, a leather notebook, and a framed photograph of a young boy with two adults holding him up. She squinted to get a closer look at the boy's face before Robin leaned back in his chair and swiveled around. Her gaze dropped to her hands. "I'm just looking over this instruction manual."

Starfire's head tilted to the side. "An instruction manual? What for?"

"The security cameras," he sighed. Robin placed both hands around the back of his neck and lolled his head around to loosen the crooks. "I think Cyborg needs to install a new system, ours is damaged."

"That is horrible. How did such an incident occur?"

"I don't know. I'm still looking into it. Well, maybe it's a good thing. The system was obsolete anyways." Robin shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, did you need something?"

"Oh, yes! Well—" The slight twist of her smile caved into a frown and she sighed. "Well I do not wish to be a tattle tale, but I am very concerned for our friend, Beast Boy. He has shed a lot of—green balls of fur around the premises."

"Fur balls?"

"Yes." Starfire nodded. "I have tried the vacuuming on the carpet, but it is ineffective. I do not wish for Silkie to mistakenly consume it. Perhaps, from now on, he should do the transforming of furry animals outside."

"Did you try telling him?"

"No," she confessed, slumping her shoulders. "I did not want to upset Beast Boy as he seemed a bit—not inside of the loop. I felt it would appropriate to partake in the voicing of my concerns to you, Robin."

"Well I appreciate it, Star. Hmm." Robin's eyebrows furrowed and he rubbed his chin. "Some of his hairier animals might be going through their shedding phase."

"Oh no." Her eyes widened. "It is a normal thing among mammals, yes?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll have a talk with him about it."

The buzzer of his communicator began to beep loudly. Starfire looked at the vibrating object on the desk then back at his face. "Robin, you are—beeping."

"Huh? Oh." Robin turned back to the desk and scooped up the communicator. He held up a forefinger. "Just a minute." Robin held the device up to his ear. She stifled a giggle at the way his facial expression transformed from relaxed to a stony glare. "This is Robin."

As he spoke into it, she found herself dulled by the conversation and began to push the buttons on the water dispenser. Robin paced the room, adjusting random objects and nodding as he listened. He glanced at her for a moment, gave a brief smile, then turned. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Thank you." He closed the lid of the communicator and clipped it on his utility belt. Robin pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly turned to face her. "Starfire, I hate to bug you but—"

"The Tower watch today?"

"Yeah," he sighed, lowering his hand. Robin walked over to his desk, closed the instruction manual, and dug through a drawer for his keys. "I need to go to the police station right now. They have Adonis in custody. You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head. "I do not mind. Please, keep us updated on the status."

Robin grinned. "Will do."

* * *

Raven had always been fond of the roof; if she could only manage to occupy the area uninterrupted. Normally on sweltering summer evenings, she'd catch the team roasting marshmallows and setting up a makeshift bonfire. Warm afternoons were a war zone for Cyborg and Beast Boy's paintball matches. On colder nights, Starfire and Robin liked to stargaze. She never considered it a very romantic view nor did she consider the rooftop very welcoming to occupy when it became overly crowded. Jump City's landscape spread across the bay and skyscrapers rose from the wide gaps of green treetops. She slowly brought the brim of the cup to her lips, feeling the warmth radiating from the tea against her tongue. It had a distinct smell of lemon, yet the sweetness overpowered its bitter aftertaste. A look of satisfaction, as if having completed a desperately needed moment of relaxation had been expressed by a slight curve of her mouth. A feeling of bliss was worn in a soft raise of her eyebrow and wrinkle of her nose. It was on rare occasions when she smiled, and today had been an exception.

Above the island's tideline, gray boulders were splashed yellow from undergrowth and festooned with lichen. Beneath each boulder were deep crevices full of mushy seaweeds and cerulean mussel beds. Pink and green moss painted upon broad leaves of the flimsy sea tangle. Heavy waves crashed over the white sand and spread frothy foam over the shore. The bay's breeze blew in bitter gusts, tumbling her violet locks behind in various directions. She breathed in deep, letting the salty air lay thick and fill her nostrils. Raven took a step closer to the edge of the roof, refusing to take her eyes off the empty horizon where azure water met a faintly pink-washed sky.

A sinuous figure zipped past her and toward the water below. She narrowed her eyes, tipping her body over the edge to watch the object create twists and turns as it nose-dove past the sand. A small, green bird folded its wings against its body and slowly spread them to perform a smooth glide. The afternoon sun reflected along its iridescent feathers, creating an array of light and dark shades of green. The swallow fanned its tail outwards as a strong gust of wind knocked it back. Its back had sprouted into arms and a neck as Beast Boy had shifted into his human form. He let out a scream, flailing his hands wildly as he descended closer to the boulders.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to count to three. If he shifted too late, the bird's tail would've snagged on a boulder. Even so, his fist was clenched and he had barely reached three before he twisted his body around with all his strength and shifted back into a swallow. He was jerked back; the sharpness of the shift cut into his feathers and sides. The bird landed gently on the sand, before sprouting human limbs. Beast Boy lay across the sand, skin turning a sickly pale green. He sucked in deep breaths, letting the soft wave of cold water cool his body. The changeling's body crumpled into a fetal position as he shivered and let wet sand cling onto the back of his shirt.

For the past few days it had been nearly impossible for him to shift. Perhaps his mind had been too preoccupied with his previous dream, hindering him from focusing on an animal form. Or perhaps he wanted to fall, just to get a thrill out of it. He blinked, eyes shifting from their usual green to a mingling of black and cobalt. He sat up, combing his fingers through his hair and finding the action giving him a strange sense of vitality.

He then shifted into a bulldog, letting the whites in his eyes fully engulf itself in black. The green bulldog sat and looked about for a minute. Then he cast up his eyes to the roof, and seemed, judging from his expression, to be thinking of something important. Then he dug his paws into the sand, creating a deep hole. The bulldog sniffed the crater, grimaced, and shifted into a poodle. It stood erect and haughty on its hind legs. Then, without a word of warning, without the shadow of a provocation, the poodle swiped at the sand and sniffed. It let out a yelp of agony paced the sand in circles around the second hole. He then shifted into a German Shepherd.

The dog was excessively large with a brindled green coat and an extravagant ruff of fur around its neck. It wagged its tail before it laid on its back, with four legs stuck up straight into the air. The German Shepherd was a full-bodied dog, with a well-developed chest as it breathed. He spent the next fifteen minutes switching between St. Bernards, collies, retrievers, huskies, mastiffs, and Yorkshires. Each one had performed the same task: it dug a hole, sniffed, and shifted.

After relentless shifting, Beast Boy gave up and switched back to his human form. He sat at the very far end of the island, back up against the damp side of a boulder wall, body aching and cheeks burning with a deep flush of fever. He breathed in short gasps when he inhaled the chilly air around him. Beast Boy dragged his knees closer to his chest and wrapped him arms around them, teeth chattering as he shivered.

"I'll get better. Just feeling a little sick. Yeah, that's it! Catching a cold, s'all," Beast Boy repeated to himself, feebly rubbing away at his arms in an attempt to end the chill that ran down his spine. "Just—sick. I'm sick. Yeah!"

She sat atop the roof eyeing the green changeling as he rocked back and forth below. A solemn peacefulness that had reigned in earlier turned the atmosphere cold and empty. She couldn't help but shudder at the sickly sight and glanced over her shoulder at the newfound presence behind her. Cyborg filled the empty space next to Raven, following her gaze as she looked back toward her green teammate. Cyborg sighed and shook his head.

"Oh no, B."

"He's shifting." She took in a long sip of tea. "Yet he seems to be struggling."

"Weird, right?" he mumbled. "He's been turning into different dogs all day. Sniffing and scratching. Sniffing and scratching. I don't get it." Raven drank in silence, hoping that the answer lied at the bottom of the cup as the afternoon dragged on. Few words were exchanged between them before Cyborg broke the silence. "The boy's actin' weird, Rae."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't he always?"

"No." Cyborg shook his head. "This is something different. Somethin' big. And don't tell me you haven't been thinking the same."

"Somewhat," she murmured. "Though I hardly pay attention to Beast Boy's erratic behavior."

"Do you know we spent three hours at the park the other day just—watching dogs play fetch?" Cyborg groaned and threw his hands up in defeat. "For _three_ hours! He didn't even wanna go to the arcade."

"Did you speak to him about it?"

"Wanted to but—I mean—look at him." Cyborg gestured toward Beast Boy. He had since moved from his sitting position and began to shift into a Labrador. "He's not—right in the head. Anyways, I told Robin. He's a little worried too. Especially with all those weird scratches on the wall and our jacked up cameras." When Raven did not respond, he heaved a sigh. "I just hope he's alright. That's my little bud, you know?"

"I do."

"Yeah." Cyborg grinned, patting Raven lightly on the back. "Well, I guess I better get started on lunch," he replied, backing away. "How you feelin' today, Rae? Chicken noodle soup or turkey sandwiches?"

"Actually," Raven tore her gaze away from the dog and looked at Cyborg as he made his way toward the exit. "I think I will order lunch in the city today." She gave him a small nod. "But thank you, Cyborg."

"No prob. Make sure you eat something, alright?" he scolded, wagging his finger at her. "_Actual_ food, Raven, and I'm not talking tea!"

* * *

His assigned jail cell was six feet by eight. The walls inside were of thick grey stone and a small window with silver metal bars. The air was heavily dank and smelled of rotten food; the fluorescent lamp on the ceiling buzzed incessantly and wasn't very bright, even at midday. His bed fit his small body perfectly; it had a bumpy mattress, two cushions, and one thin blanket. The jail was either suffocatingly quiet or pierced with the shouts of arguing inmates. His legs were thin as twigs, bundled in a skintight jumpsuit. Without his armor to add to his façade of a bulky man, he was extremely underweight. He took in a deep breath and his chest was so frail that the curves of each rib was visible underneath the orange neoprene. Adonis had a face that was sunken in and exaggerated the outline of his skull under his pale skin. He lifted his head up, wet black hair sticking to his face, and weakly crumpled back down. He lay armor-less on the ground, after performing up to forty crunches, wondering when it would be his turn to leave. Adonis turned his head when the locked cell slid open.

The officer nodded at him. "You've got a visitor."

"About time," he murmured. Adonis rose up from the ground with a slight grunt, and followed the officer down the hall.

The hall looked exactly like it had the first time he was arrested. Dark and empty. He ran his hand along the black cinder-block walls. Low, red track lighting curved across the ceiling and the congested smell of cigar smoke mixed with sewage clogged the air. The door was solid metal; its surface was flat and shiny. There wasn't a handle, lock, or hinges to open it. The officer shoved Adonis forward and pulled out a remote control from his pocket. He motioned for Adonis to stand face-forward toward the door.

"There's about twenty security cameras in that room. Try anything funny, and we've got charged tasers waitin' for you the minute you step foot out that door," he hissed.

Adonis smirked and patted the officer on his shoulder. "Wouldn't think of it, cupcake."

The officer sighed and pressed a green button on the device, forcing the heavy metal-bound door to swing open. He switched on the lights of the room. It was a fairly empty office with textile panels of a dark gray. In the middle of the room was a rectangular conference table. Robin sat at the far end, hands behind his head, and feet crossed atop the table's surface.

Robin gave a nod and the officer backed out of the room. "I can take it from here, Joe."

"Alright. I'll be right outside, Robin. And _you_," the officer narrowed his eyes at Adonis. "You've got five minutes."

Adonis grinned and took a seat. He folded his arms across his chest and chuckled at the Titans' leader once the door closed. "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite wimp. Long time, no talk. What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Your recent arrest, actually." Robin slid Adonis a folder from across the table. Adonis swiped the folder in his hand and began to skim through the documents. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah? And what about it?"

"Twelve tanks at the animal laboratory were missing and found in your possession. Funnily enough, those tanks contained the _same_ chemicals that messed with your DNA a while ago."

Adonis scoffed and slid the papers back to Robin. "And you think I really wanted to steal that stuff to become some big Sasquatch? Get real."

"If you're trying to unleash something primal again, you're better off coming clean. I'm certainly not giving out free antidotes every time you decide to wreck the city." Robin leaned forward in his chair, studying Adonis's face as it slowly paled. "What do you want with the chemicals?"

"Look, if you wanna stop me—tough luck," Adonis spat. He stuck his nose in the air and swiftly turned his head. "I'm totally innocent."

"Depends on what your idea of 'innocent' is." Robin stroked his chin and leaned back in his seat. "You don't have to end up in jail forever, Adonis. You can have a reduction on your maximum sentence date. Information, as a form of commutation, can earn some major custody credit here. This institution is very generous when it comes to applying parole eligibility and a reduction to a term date."

"What's the catch?" he asked. "You Titans think you can run some under the table scheme for me snitching?" Adonis let out a dry, sarcastic chuckle. "_Whatever_, I'll take the good behavior credit. Orange is totally not my color and a small dude like me will get crushed in here."

"Then I suggest you start from the beginning," Robin replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Why'd you steal the chemical tanks?"

The more anxious Adonis became, the more defined his intellectualization of the whole situation also became. He rationalized the predicament from different view points and Robin's agreement would've forced a positive outcome for him. He couldn't be stuck in jail forever, he couldn't afford to. Adonis sighed.

"Listen, the stuff's way toxic. I wasn't _stealing_ it; I was gonna dump it out in the bay." Robin raised an eyebrow, prompting Adonis to continue. "Let's just say—an inside job gone bad. I'm in my zone, wearing my new suit, went inside the building to get the stuff and then—this—this _freakazoid_ thing comes chasing me halfway across town. So I took off, got caught, and now I'm here."

"Wait. You said something _chased_ you?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure it did."

"And what did this—" Robin waved his hands around, fumbling around for the correct word. "What did this—thing—look like?"

"Don't know, it was too dark." Adonis shook his head. "For a minute, I thought it was your little wimpy dude on a solo mission. I was gonna do a number on him. You know, the green one." Robin's eyes widened beneath his mask.

"Beast Boy?"

"Yeah." Adonis heaved a loud sigh. "The boss just needed extra muscle to move some tanks and put 'em in the bay. Didn't say why. I was just gonna dump it and get the cash for it. I didn't know something was gonna come after me, so the job fell through. And between you and I—" Adonis leaned forward in his seat, motioning for Robin to do the same. He spoke in hushed tones. "Word on the street is, one of the guards here got caught up with—whatever that thing was too. Took forever for 'em to identify the body and JCPD's trying to keep it under wraps. They think _I_ did it 'cause of what happened before with that stuff. You know—when I—"

"Changed," Robin finished.

"It's not me though, I swear." Adonis held up his hands in surrender. "Look, that's all I know—"

The door swung open with two officers entering the room to retrieve Adonis. "Time's up. Let's go." He was handcuffed and led out by the second guard, leaving Robin behind. The first officer nodded at Robin on his way toward the exit. "Anything else I can do for you, Robin?"

His gaze lingered on the door where Adonis had entered through before making its way to the officer's face. "No." He smiled and collected the documents on the tables. "Thanks. I think I've got everything."

"No problem. Anything for the Titans. Here, let me walk you out."

He peered out over the sidewalk, his eyes took in the bright colors that squeezed through the clouds. The officer tipped his hat and let Robin exit through the door first. The scent of impending rain hung in the air as he watched the sky darken and the colors fade away as the afternoon fully arrived. He escorted Robin out of the jailhouse, and watched the Teen Titans leader mount his R-Cycle. The motorcycle had been equipped with new 700cc triple-cylinder engines. Robin squeezed the handles, letting the 300-watt headlight flicker as he stepped off the curb.

"Hey!" he called as Robin put on his helmet. The officer dug through his shirt pocket and retrieved a small photograph of a little girl and handed it to Robin. Robin ran the pad of his thumb over the photograph and looked up at the officer. "Think you could get Beast Boy to sign it? My little girl's a huge fan," he chuckled.

"Yeah," Robin mumbled. He stuffed the photo in his pocket and revved his bike. "I'll get him to sign it."

* * *

This was _weird_.

Not only had Raven practically dragged him off the sofa but she nearly forced him in the middle of downtown Jump City's rush hour. Beast Boy still wasn't happy about the rug burns on his rear end from when he was dragged across the sidewalk. He had yet to thank her for clawing his attention away from the 48-hour dog documentary on Animal Planet. However, he couldn't help the bit of anxiety consuming him as he wondered what he had done to deserve whatever painful death was coming his way. Raven hated crowds and hated the arcade. Scratch that, he was positively one-hundred percent sure she hated everything. She had even, begrudgingly, dished out thirty bucks for unlimited tokens and paid for two soy-shakes. One of which, had been in his favorite flavor. Which made the impromptu trip way too good to be true.

This surpassed weird and barged its way into _insanity_.

The local arcade was practically an indoors fun fair. There were simulated bumper cars, a laser tag hall, a miniature haunted house, a loop-the-loop simulated roller coaster, pinball machines, video game systems, twenty flat screen TVs, and an electronic big wheel. Lines of children and teens snaked around each attraction and video game; their eyes eager and impatient feet stomping as they waited their turn. A medley of carnival sounds, such as the loud train track thuds of roller coasters over squeaky wooden planks, squeals of children, and cheery melodies blasted out of crackly speakers. The repetitive songs of arcade games echoed out from large arrays of glowing, flashy machines. The smell of sugar and hamburgers permeated the large building. Quite frankly, the whole atmosphere was giving Raven a migraine.

Beast Boy knew that her silence was somehow self-explanatory and didn't need to be interrupted with words. It was peaceful in a way where he could feel comfortable and he also knew that there was a mysterious side to it—which would ultimately result in his death. The silence stretched thinner between them until the temptation to rupture it with words was too great to resist. He eyed the frothy soy-shake carefully and took a sip. Whatever poison she had put inside his drink would be difficult to detect, but at least he could play the part of an oblivious victim. The only thing about his plan was the fact that he now had to swallow the concoction. She continued to stare at him wild-eyed, like a damned soul in purgatory gazed at the sevenfold circles of hell. Slowly but surely, he swallowed and pushed the cup aside. Beast Boy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

She gestured toward the drink with a slight tilt of her head. "How is the soy-shake?"

"Good." He glanced at her untouched cup, face paling by the second. She did poison him, he knew it! Beast Boy began to squirm in his seat, looking for the nearest bathroom where he could force himself to vomit the deadly liquid threatening to paralyze his body. He looked back at her. "Yours?"

"Bearable," she replied, idly tracing the brim of the cup with her fingertips.

Cold sweat glistened on Beast Boy's furrowed brow. With hands clasped tightly in front of him, he fiddled with his fingers and weaved them around his cup's straw. He looked up at the ceiling, a sense of loss and insecurity, with a vague expression of painful anticipation.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Okay, Raven, what _gives_?" he blurted out, rupturing the silence with loud words. "This hidden agenda thing. What's up?" She lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, don't give me that dazed and confused look! I'm not stupid. You know what I mean."

"Unfortunately, I don't speak gibberish," she drawled, flicking away pieces of lint from her cloak.

Beast Boy pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Okay. English, then. Since when do you wanna hang out? With me? _Alone_? At an arcade? In public? Do you _really_ wanna risk killing me in public? You _do_ know there's cameras everywhere. They'll find my body—"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Beast Boy—"

"If it's about your book the other day—I'm sorry, okay?!" he pleaded. "I didn't mean to spill juice on it!"

"Beast Boy. Wait—" Her eyes narrowed at him. "You did _what_?"

"It _dried_," he assured her, giving a weak smile to back up the evidence. "If you're going to kill me just—just do it now. I can take it. Wait, give me a minute." Beast Boy straightened up in his seat, letting his eyes close. He took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled through his nose. "Okay, I'm ready to die."

"Beast Boy—"

He opened up one eye. "Just saying."

"I'm not going to kill you, don't be dramatic. Aren't we—_friends_?"

She coined the "friends" term very loosely and it certainly caught him off guard. What kind of dark magic was Raven trying to pull? His eyebrows furrowed.

"I dunno. I guess." A muscle twitched at the corner of her left eye and her mouth formed a scowl. That didn't hurt as much as it could have nor did she feel the metaphorical burn. He was right. They weren't exactly the closest teammates. Perhaps a different and less inconspicuous approach would have been better. Another quick glance at the luminous digital clock on the wall assured Beast Boy that time was slowly ticking. He could feel his stomach knot up in anticipation for his death. "Well I mean—yeah. We're friends."

"The arcade. It's a place of fun, yes?"

"Um—" His gaze lingered on a pinball machine before he turned to her. Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah. I guess the arcade is kinda fun."

"Okay," she pressed on, feeling a vein throb on her forehead. "And isn't hanging out somewhere fun what—_friends_—do?"

This was borderline ridiculous.

Beast Boy frowned. "Okay, cut the BFFs act. This is totally freaking me out, Raven. Either you're possessed or I'm going crazy."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I believe the latter to be true. You are prone to exhibit psychological issues."

"Hardy har har. _Funny_," he mocked, scowling at the remark. "So you're not possessed. Really, what's up with the random hangout? What's this about?"

"Actually," she sighed, twirling the bendy straw in circles around her cup. "I was hoping you would tell me. Look, Robin and Cyborg suspect you've been acting a little—strange lately." He shot her an uneasy look. Raven held up a hand, signaling him to let her finish her sentence. "Stranger than _your_ strange."

"So they sent you to babysit me and get all the good gossip?" Beast Boy shook his head. "That's low."

"When you word it that way, it sounds completely negative."

"Which is what invading my privacy _is_," he pointed out. "Totally negative. No matter how you word it."

"_They're_—" Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"_We're_—" He raised another.

Raven sighed and massaged her temples. "_I'm_ not trying to invade your privacy, Beast Boy. I'm actually quite offended you'd assume such a ridiculous thing. Give me some credit to your discretion."

His ears drooped and he lowered his gaze to the table. "Sorry."

"This outing was meant as a chance for you to express any concerns freely, without the prying mechanisms of Robin or blackmail tactics by Cyborg," she explained. "I have noticed your odd behavior as well. I thought it'd be rational to hear your side of the story."

"Oh, well when you put it that way—it makes sense." He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. "So what now? I just spill the beans?"

She nodded. "You can disclose whatever information you want however you choose to do so. I will listen."

"And give the occasional 'eye roll'. Don't forget that," he added.

"Preferably."

"Alright. So," Beast Boy desperately tried to hide how fearful he was feeling inside. He was able to control the tremor in his voice and shaking of his body to a degree. But even then, he knew the nonchalant façade could only fool Raven for a few seconds. He forced himself to smile, even though it clearly looked pasted on. "You know how Cy and I kinda—went in your mind?"

She glowered at him. "_Fun_ times."

"Heh, yeah, sorry 'bout that."

"What about it?" she asked.

"Well—" He tilted his head from side to side, thinking of how to correctly put his question together. "How did you—get there?" She quirked an eyebrow. "Inside your mind, I mean."

"The mindscape is different for everyone. Even more complex for one to enter and, please be aware, that not many are given the opportunity." Raven shrugged her shoulders. "Fortunately for me, I've had time and experience to fully encapsulate mine in an object."

"Oh," Beast Boy replied, tapping his chin. "The mirror."

She nodded. "But what relevance does the portal to Nevermore have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. Just—wondering." Perhaps it wasn't a dream he had the other night. Beast Boy's eyes widened. He _had_ entered his mind.

"Are you—okay?"

"Huh? Oh. Um, yeah, I'm good." He decided to switch the topic and the corners of his mouth lifted up into a smile. "Hey, thanks for forcing me on this super weird and totally awkward hangout. It was kinda cool." He began to laugh, feeling absolutely delirious. "Boy, am I crazy! For a second there, I thought you were gonna poison me with the soy-shake." Beast Boy took a sip of his drink and chuckled.

There was a faint curve to her lips, however there wasn't a crease below her eyes or raise of her cheeks. On anyone else, it would be considered a full-blown grimace. On Raven's face, however, it was a sign of contentment.

"You didn't." He took another long sip and wrinkled his nose. "_Did_ you?"

"I might have contemplated it."

Beast Boy spit out his drink.

* * *

The music was thunderously loud; it made the cutlery and glass bottles at the bar rattle. Neon strobe lights flashed across the room as costumed citizens swayed to the beat. They were dressed in colorful pre-Halloween outfits of sequins, feathers, yellow, magenta, and cyan. Everywhere she looked there were painted faces, wigs, masks, stilt walkers marching down the middle of the dance floor, and costumed people blowing bubbles or waving as they passed her. The smell of perfume and smoke wafted through the nightclub. The social atmosphere, charged with a euphoric energy, intoxicated her. She felt light held under the surface of her emptied shot glass. Through all the glamour, spread a tincture of inebriation through her body. She motioned her fingers at the bartender for another round.

She had been buzzed for the past two hours or so since arriving at the club. She always had a tendency to drink after a heated argument with her humanoid-arachnid boyfriend, Fang, but now she was getting better at hiding her bad habit. She drank just a little bit more so that her words became slurred and she hoped the rosiness of her cheeks didn't immediately give her away. She planned to stay paralytic by morning.

He emptied the rest of the bottle's contents in her shot glass and slid it over to her. "On your tab?" the bartender asked.

"Actually, on me," he replied smoothly over the sound of loud dance music. The baritone of his voice reverberated through her bones as he slid in a seat next to her. The low rumble he had when he spoke was comforting and carried her off to a world between everything sounding melodic and complete intoxication.

She looked at the bartender wide-eyed, then back to the masked man. "Actually, on him," she squeaked, face lightly flushing when she realized how crackly her voice sounded. The bartender nodded, and stepped away to set up a new tab.

"Drinking everything away or drowning in it?" he quipped.

"What's it to you? I'm of legal age now." She pinched her nose shut and leaned her head back as she swallowed. The chuckle he replied with was soft. Like rolling thunder that billowed across a darkened sky on a stormy night.

"Common courtesy."

"I don't consider talking to a stranger in a plastic wolf mask common courtesy," she pointed out. "But thanks for the free booze."

The shape of the wolf mask had almost looked like a heart, despite its furriness. The space between the beady, yellow eyes formed a large snout. The mask's mouth, which opened downward, was armed with strong mandibles and plastic fangs. He sat in the barstool at the counter, some distance back, and stretched his legs in front of him. "Here," he mumbled, pulling off the mask. His chin was pointed and his jawline a bit defined on his pale skin. He was a young bespectacled man, and he ran his hand over his bald head. When he lifted an eyebrow, his forehead raised in odd wrinkles. He had a sloppy half-grin on his face, a bit tipsy, a tad satyr-like. "Better? Not—stranger-like?"

"Hmm," she murmured, cocking her head to the side. "Not bad. Not-stranger-like."

The man watched as she motioned for another drink. She took in a huge gulp and groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. He stroked his chin and grinned. "So what brings you here? Alone?"

"A loser boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, actually. I don't know, labels are stupid," she slurred, slamming her fist on the table. The shot glass wobbled dangerously. "I've been doing just fine by myself for years—until that—that—jerk, Fang."

"I am sorry." He quickly averted his attention to his bony fingers then looked up at her. "Surely, it is his loss."

She waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don't know."

"Well," he chuckled. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. A low growl rumbled in his throat. His response came out more of a throaty whisper, and she straightened up in her seat. "For one, you smell—" He looked up and met her gaze. "Bloody fantastic."

She grinned, flush spreading across her cheeks. The girl leaned closer, elbows nearly slipping off the countertop in her drunken stupor. She giggled, lips brushing past his ear. "Tell me more."

"Perhaps—somewhere more comfortable." When he outstretched his arm, she gratefully hooked onto it, and they left their seats. A wide grin spread across his face. "Shall we?"

"Outside?" He nodded. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Sure."

He dug in his back pocket and slipped the wolf mask over his head. As they walked through the crowded dance floor and toward the exit, the white of his eyes slowly turned black.

Once she reached the alley outside, her blonde hair plastered wetly against her forehead. Her clothes were soaking wet from perspiration, her lips were chapped, and her teeth chattered. Scratches left from her earlier fight with Fang trailed along her cheeks. The cold licked at her face and crept under her shirt, spreading a chill across her skin. With lips tinged with blue and chattering teeth, she wrapped her thin cardigan around her tighter.

"So, what now—"

She was completely unprepared for her loss of balance as her back slammed against the brick wall. She hadn't imagined how warm the stranger's lips would feel pressed up against her own. She opened her mouth and prepared to belt the loudest shriek she could muster, but was stopped as teeth dug into her flesh. A sharp nip pierced into the bottom of her lip, drawing blood, and she grimaced. She pushed him off and shivered with anger—and a bit of fear. The masked man stepped back quickly.

"Keep off, you _creep_!" she screamed, wiping off her bloodied lip with the back of her hand.

As a single drop of blood fell from her lips, he produced an echoed shriek that made her shudder. He leapt at her and grasped her arm, flinging her headlong. She dragged his hand down and they struck the ground together. He scrambled to pin her down and she wrenched a hand free and jerked off his mask. A shriek of horror broke from her lips. Beastly green eyes glittered beneath the mask, and white fangs flashed in the moonlight.

The face of a wolf.

In an instant, his fangs were at her throat. Taloned hands tore into her shoulder blade and his jaws fastened on her neck. Crimson that had oozed down her shoulder blade in thick droplets spattered the concrete and had quickly blackened in a pool of warm blood. It flowed freely from the girl's severed neck and formed a large puddle around her corpse. The blood had soaked into her light clothing.

There, laid an expressionless girl who rested on a pool of mild cerise substance, in which the beast slowly lapped up.

As her flesh split, mild crimson liquid seeped from the barrier of her wound. Thick beads crawled down her sallow skin in crisp streaks as the foamy-mouthed wolf's pellucid saliva cleansed it away.

* * *

The last vestiges of a warm sunset disappeared over the horizon. Coppery hues gave way to a dusty black sky that scattered with the gleam of faraway stars. The distant skyline of the bay silhouetted during the evening.

The Tower was silvered and shaped by the light of the moon, which, at the full, hung radiant and luminous against the night sky. Silhouetted against it, a green wolf rose through the foggy haze and watched the sand squish between his paws. The coastline was beautiful under the moonlight with its charcoal-tinted ribbon of cliffs shrinking into the distance. Below the cliffs were heavy boulders that were laced with sea tangle. Foamy pockets of crashing waves were the only sound other than the soft padding of his feet digging into the sand. He moved with the purpose and intelligence of a human when he was an animal; albeit a human of such curiosity and meekness. When in human form, he moved confidently and strong, though his lanky limbs gave him more of a sloppy gait.

After his trip back from the arcade, Robin had pummeled Beast Boy with a plethora of ridiculous questions. Raven, thankfully, compromised with their leader to give the changeling some space. At least until the next morning. He couldn't have been more grateful, though it still didn't settle his uneasy nerves as he caught a whiff of the putrid stench all over again when he walked to his room.

He needed fresh air to calm the nauseating scent that permeated the Tower. His only saving grace had been the island and the smell of saltwater. The sand was still damp and the wind howled in tempestuous gusts. He followed a path, that had been mapped out with broken twigs, around the entire island. It was a land of uneven ground, treeless hills and mist-filled hollows. The green wolf stood still. Its beady eyes gazed at the the reflected image of the moon gliding over dark water. It moved without sound, appearing in and out of the shadows. Only when it was just a few feet away from the tideline did it let out a low, guttural sound resonating from deep within its throat. It gazed at the moon, eyes narrowing as it howled.

A call, a warning, for the disturbance to not come back to the Tower ever again.

* * *

The beast finished off the rest of its carnage. With the girl's torn off limbs tucked under its paw, it strode down the alleyway. Drool hung from its bloodied lips and it left a trail of spattered crimson behind it.

It was only a few steps away from the sidewalk, when it heard a guttural echo. The creature glanced both ways, ears erect, as it reveled in its rival's call. It sunk its head low, looking up hungrily at the full moon. Its lips had peeled back and exposed its sharp, twisted teeth. Black matted fur stretched over the chest that outlined each individual rib. The wolf grinned and let out a half-bestial, bellowing howl before sprinting off; letting the shadows of the alley swallow its silhouette whole. It had been warned to leave, and it had responded back.

Defeat was not an option, a challenge was inevitable.

And it couldn't wait for the taste of his blood on its lips.

* * *

_"An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind."_

_— Buddha_

* * *

**Mail Time!**

Extromous - I'm honestly writing everything on a whim, haha. So I have NO idea where I'm going with anything until I start to add on to a chapter. But my, my, my. Don't we all love a good showdown? :)

Xand'r Coldhearted - Thank you! More! Yes. I will try to write more. I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

astroNAUT - It really is the calm before the storm. Man, what is Beast Boy thinking sometimes?!

JasonVUK - I just know it's gonna get messy. And bloody. Sheesh.

RusherMushroom - Thank you so much! :)

Guest - Wow. Such a nice review. Thank you for your kind words.

mooncutie11 - Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I truly appreciate your feedback. Wow. Thank you.

Invader Johnny - It's always better on the dark side... :) Fluffy stuff gets kinda—boring. Time to mix it up!

taliaax - The wolf really is ruthless. But I mean, maybe he's not all bad? Nah, I'm jk. He's a total baddie. For now.

Guest - I've always wanted to know what it was like in Beast Boy's mind since there's so many different sides of him. The jungle thing was my little headcanon. But thank you!

LiumD - I know, it's going to get so bad.

Guest - As for that BBRae, we'll see. I'm contemplating letting them be awesome kickass bros or an awesome kickass couple or an awesome kickass all of the above in this fic. Idk idk idk.


	4. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

Who likes long chapters? I know I do. :)

Thank you all for being so kind. Please continue to read and review, they make this little lady's day a bit happier!

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?_**

Autumn's hand lay heavily on the barren streets and metropolitan area of Jump City. Leaves and bracken had yellowed; clumps of vibrant summer flowers began to decline in color as they wilted. Faint odors of hickory smoke and cinnamon flit over the entire city, filling empty sidewalks with warmth as shop doors opened and closed. Silhouettes of the tall skyscrapers were drawn against the cloudy sky and an October chill spread across the manicured park lawn. The flickering light of a windy autumn morning shimmered on the wet pavement, and faces of citizens looked spectrally multicolored in the shine and shadow. A gust of wind whipped through the avenues, brittlely leaves whorled into frenzied circular motions. Yellow, red and orange leaves were summoned from their tree branches and deposited on the sidewalk.

The teenage boy retrieved another neon flyer from the stack and firmly pressed his stapler against it, securing the document to a tree trunk. He moved quickly down the street, bits of loose staples slipping from his pocket, and toward a lamppost. The boy stuffed the top of the documents between his teeth and dug through his pants pocket for a roll of tape. He ripped off a long strip and taped a second flyer to the metal pole. In the silence, he could hear the wind sweeping around the top of the papers, testing its security as it was nestled underneath his teeth. A draft swirled up from where it originally coiled around his feet and thrust all of the flyers out of his grasp.

"Aw, come on. Not again," he groaned.

He chased after the flyers as they scattered down the sidewalk. The boy bent down and plucked each one from the pavement, crumpling a majority of them in the process. One had slapped against the leg of a person and rattled as the bitter wind blew heavy gusts. His eyes followed the figure as it peeled away the flyer. The boy straightened up and cradled the papers closer to his chest.

"Sorry about that, sir," he whispered. The man's gaze averted to the flyer in his hand as he read over the print. "You can keep it."

The man was tall and very slight. He lacked facial hair, including hair on his head, and his eyes were bulged. They seemed to jump from their sockets, from which the boy assumed, had been caused by thick-rimmed glasses he wore secured by a heavy cord. His brow was corrugated with wrinkles, and he peered suspiciously at the teenager through his thick lenses.

"What is this?" he asked, head tilting toward the flyer.

"Um, Murakami High's annual blood drive." The man's mouth curved downward at the corners, tossing the teenaged boy an expression that intended to be angry and only succeeded in being curious. With a shaky hand, the boy used his forefinger to point at the given information on the flyer. "It starts today at ten. Proceeds go directly to the Red Cross and you can donate blood. Almost everyone around here's a donor. They like to support community events," he chuckled. "Think you can make it?"

A shiver ran down the man's spine; his lips curved into a smirk and his eyes wrinkled at the edges. The pupils in the man's eyes constricted and widened. White sclerae surrounding the black irises were almost nonexistent.

"I'd love to."

* * *

Cyborg's garage and converted workstation was cold and cluttered. Red tool benches were placed on both sides of the room next to circuit boards, blue wires, and blinking microchips. Fluorescent tube lamps dangled from large steel rafters and a flat computer with two monitors balanced on a metal plank between four tablet devices. He had jumble of small car parts and bottles of oil in a green box. The walls were of stainless steel and complimented the black tiled floor. He passed car centrifuges, heavy accelerators, cylinders of mass spectrometer, trays of microchips, computers, and empty soda cans. The garage had a faint smell of lemon disinfectant with heavier scent of overlaid motor oil.

Robin could hear machinery rattle in a soft, rhythmic pattern. He approached a glass panel set in the wall and looked through it to where a man sat in front of a blinking machine. Cyborg lifted one metal piece in the air, rotated it, labeled it, and attached it with a wrench to a hollow pocket of the machine. Robin grinned and stepped away from the glass panel toward Cyborg.

"Hey."

Cyborg glanced over his shoulder and nodded to acknowledge his leader. "Hey, what's up?" Robin looked at the large machine and walked around it.

"New security system?" Robin asked. Cyborg nodded again. "Does it work?"

"Not yet. With fifty new infrared cameras and state-of-the-art microphones, they'll detect anything and any sound within a several mile radius. There's no way these babies can get damaged again. I just need to fix the lenses." Cyborg spat the wrench out of his mouth and snapped his fingers. "T-Bot, hand me a screwdriver."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows. "T-Bot?"

"Watch and learn, Rob. Take a seat and enjoy my newest creation: T-Bot." Cyborg patted the stool next to him and Robin obliged.

As they sat down, Cyborg aimed his ultraviolet light beam at an unmoving figure from across the computer room. Unlike typical fictionalized robots, which looked like conceptions of armored squarish bodies, it was a white ovoid that floated soundlessly a few inches from the tile floor. T-Bot approached the two as its top opened and hinged trays of various sized screwdrivers swung out. Robin looked at it in fascination and ran his hand over its smooth surface.

"You built a robot?"

"Kinda," Cyborg replied with a smirk. "Just testin' the waters out. T-Bot's indoctrinated to cater to, without question, any of the Titans. Need your dishes washed? Ask T-Bot. Vacuuming the floors? Give a holler to your boy T-Bot. Got a bed that needs to be made—"

"T-Bot." Robin grinned and picked a screwdriver from the tray before handing it to Cyborg. "That's—pretty impressive, Cy."

"That's not all! He's fully equipped with a soda vending machine. Go 'head," Cyborg motioned for Robin to speak. "Ask him."

"Uh, okay." Robin straightened up and cleared his throat. "T-Bot, get me a—root beer."

The T-Bot's side compartment opened and revealed a small freezer. It vibrated and released a thick, frosty layer of mist. Out rolled a can of root beer in which Cyborg pulled from the compartment and handed to Robin. Cyborg smirked. "Told ya."

"Wow. Cyborg, this is really cool—" The T-Bot erupted with a deafening shrill. Various lights began to blink on the ovoid and steam deposited from its top. Robin cast a worried glance back at his teammate. "What's going on?"

Cyborg slowly backed away. "Uh oh. I think he's overheating."

It began to shake violently with Robin quickly gripping Cyborg by the arm and taking cover behind a table. "Watch out!"

"It's gonna explode!"

A blinding flash came from the spot where the T-Bot once stood and a white cloud of smoke rose in the air. The two crawled from behind the table to assess the damage. Geysers of hot ash and molten metal parts spouted upward; some of the hot debris landed on the tile. The pillar of fiery smoke and dust, still boiling up from where the T-Bot had exploded filled the room. Cyborg glanced at Robin, whose comical appearance of spiky hair fully upright and ash-covered face caused him to chuckle. Robin glared at Cyborg, and the larger Titan meekly rubbed the back of his neck.

"So the T-Bot's a work in progress!"

"Clearly," Robin sighed, lifting up from the ground. He dusted off his pant leg and outstretched a hand to help lift Cyborg up. "I was actually hoping to find Beast Boy somewhere in here."

"Grass stain? Oh no." Cyborg shook his head and walked toward a small closet to retrieve his broom. Cyborg began to sweep away the debris. "He's usually sleep 'bout this time. Catch him in an hour or two; he'll be down here wreaking havoc."

"I figured," Robin replied, bending down to pick up blown apart pieces of metal. "Well, hopefully he's—"

The Titans alarm switched between twelve different shrills of pitches and volume. A siren began to wail along the corridors, leaping out from the depths of the Tower, and echoed. Overhead, an alarm light began to flash red. Cyborg winced and covered his ears.

"Who is it this time?!" he shouted at Robin over the noise.

"Hold on!" Robin fumbled around his utility belt for the device. The communicator had a yellow case made from metal, the projection screen jutted out on a polished cylindrical frame, finished at the end with a rim of black. There were two red and green dials at the top. His mask wrinkled slightly as he read over the information. "There's—" Robin's left eyebrow slowly raised, he looked up at Cyborg. "There's an animal on the loose."

"Where?" Cyborg yelled, hands still covered over his ears.

"Blood Drive at Murakami High School."

Cyborg squinted his human eye. "Since when are the Titans animal control?"

"We're not." Robin shut the lid of his communicator and raced for the exit. "Let's go."

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the high school, the area became swarmed with disaster. A blue Jeep and green minivan swerved out of control. The two oncoming cars tried to avoid one another and failed. Both plowed head-on and flipped over. Starfire held a hand over her mouth to stifle a shriek of terror. In the distance, smoke began to billow and swallowed the sky with a veil of thick gray.

Raven held a hand in the air, seeking any aura or nearby life form—but found the street eerily empty. At first glance Raven did not notice, but once she lowered her head, she stumbled back at the sight of red on the pavement. Her eyes followed the line as it flowed through the tiny concrete cracks. Raven stepped off the curb of the sidewalk and ran her finger against the streak of red. She rubbed the liquid between her fingertips and scowled.

"It's blood."

"I'm picking up traces of recombinant DNA. Something's not human." Cyborg stepped up behind her and followed the trail with his robotic eye. "My sensors are getting movement. We need to get inside that building."

"_Get down!_"

Robin unsheathed his bo-staff and lunged at Starfire as they tumbled on the pavement. Raven held up a dome-shaped shield to cover herself and Cyborg; Beast Boy had taken an armadillo form and rolled into a ball. A second later, a ball of multispectral colored fire belched upward, leaving a series of smoke rings in the air.

"Is everyone okay?" Robin called, helping Starfire to her feet.

"Yeah. We're good over here!" Cyborg shouted as Raven lowered her shield.

Out of shock, Beast Boy felt his body issuing terrible sensations: the heavy blow of the explosion, the noise of shattered glass, the shrieks of people, the sudden whirlpool of horror and blurred vision. He gripped the side of his head and groaned. "Dude, not cool."

The streets that were once empty thronged with life. There were cracked sidewalks and broken store fronts damaged by shattered glass. Citizens moved quickly and children screamed. Petrified by the sight and sound of their city falling around them, the fleeing multitudes were tossed and flung around like rag dolls in the street. Men and women screamed in pain, clutching their bloody wounds. A young girl tripped over her feet as blood gushed from her forehead and was held upright by an older man. The windy conditions beat down on them furiously as the weather continued unaffected by such chaos. Leashed dogs raced frantically down the street as blood ran down the feet of men as they screamed in anguish. Children were burnt in the face from the fire and blood; they screamed until they couldn't. Everyone, who could run, fled at once from the high school. Like a flock of doves frightened by the squall of a hawk, the multitude dispersed in sheer panic. A girl's brown hair was stained when they found her in the street, and her lungs were choked with blood. Her beaten in face was bruised and her abdomen had been lacerated. A man stumbled over her slain body, a large scratch covered his back.

The sickening smell of metal and slaughtered carnage blanketed the air in a choking aroma. Raven should have been used to the flurry of panicked emotions, but felt the string of different auras pull and tug her in a dizzying manner.

"Robin," she managed to croak. "There's no way I can use my powers with all these people around. We need crowd control."

A bloodied female victim gripped at Cyborg's arm. Her skin was dull gray and was covered in red splotches. She had been sliced open from the stomach, intestines cradled in her arms, and she toppled over lifelessly. Their slain bodies lay like mannequins in the street. Corpses were still warm, and quickly draining of color as thick blood had yet to dry on their skin. Foul play was involved, but it was definitely murder. Many throats had been sliced, heads cleft from the body, and they fell like butchered animals in a pool of blood. Some corpses were propped against the wall with heads drooped forward as red liquid had spread over their chest.

The Titans simply stood in the middle of the chaos awestruck at the victims mutilated beyond recognition. Robin glared at the school building then to Beast Boy. Rage filled his body, clawing for release. Fury swept off Robin in heavy waves. He clenched his fists.

"Beast Boy, get a scent! Raven, help him track it!" he shouted, saliva sputtering from his mouth. "Cyborg and Star, with me! Let's get these people far from here. Try not to step on any bodies. Titans, _go_!"

Beast Boy shifted into a bloodhound and sprinted toward the school; Raven followed behind him. He sniffed at the breeze in his direction and barked. Raven nodded.

"I sense it too," she replied, inhaling deeply.

Beast Boy tensed for a second, eyes squinting as he cringed away, and the sound of a furious roar echoed distantly. Raven slowed her pace, digging her heels firmly into the ground.

"What is that?"

Beast Boy shifted to his human form and shook his head. Through Raven's narrowed eyes, she watched as Beast Boy paused in the act of inhaling and whipped his head abruptly to the right. She was afraid to look away from him, to follow his glance, as he started to slowly back away. Raven furrowed her eyebrows.

"Beast Boy—"

"No freaking way," he said, his voice so low that Raven could barely hear it. "He was right."

She had to look; her eyes scanned the school building, searching for the interruption. At first she saw nothing, and her gaze flickered back to Beast Boy; his ear twitched incessantly.

"Raven," he warned, taking a step back. "Move. _Now_!"

One glance over her shoulder, and she saw it; a huge black shape barged out of the door, quiet as a shadow, and stalked deliberately toward them. It was enormous, thick, and muscular. The long muzzled creature growled, revealing a line of sharp incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between its teeth, rumbling across the street clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.

The wolf slowly made its way to the two superheroes, bearing its fangs. Gelatinous yellow snot dropped from its muzzle and a wispy steam misted with every heavy breath it took. They faced off in the middle of the street. The area was wide enough for the three of them to fight and not hurt any citizens as ran down the sidewalk.

Raven stood tall amid chaos. From underneath her black hooded cloak, all that could be seen were violet eyes that were slowly turning white. Behind her cast a long, malevolent shadow of dark tendrils that seemed to move independently. In the empty space above her head formed a black dome that separated the wolf and two Titans from the people. Beast Boy stared in amazement as the black dome slowly enclosed the three. Raven pulled back her dark cloak and revealed her balled fists bound together with small, white bolts of crackling energy. Her face was scrunched up in anger. Beast Boy shifted to lion form; as he slowly unsheathed his claws, they made a whispery hissing sound. All the while, Beast Boy was firmly holding the wolf's gaze.

The wolf bent down and stretched. He turned his neck from right to left; popping it with a series of clicks as he loosened up his body.

"Do not hold back," he snarled at them.

The wolf's curved lips formed a sly smirk and he slowly brought one hind leg further behind him, as he put his weight on it, before sprinting forward. With a quick flick of her hand, Raven held up a shield as the wolf lunged at her. His face rammed into the translucent energy and her eyes widened when it began to crack. The shield gave way and Raven landed on her back. The wolf pounced on her, pinning her hands to the ground with its paws, and viciously snapped its jaws inches from her face.

A green lion rushed at the wolf's side. He dipped and weaved left as the wolf slashed its paws downward at him. Beast Boy parried with a strike against the wolf's leg with his own paw. It shrieked and knocked Beast Boy backwards. The changeling was sent flying and slammed against the wall of the dome. He shifted back to his human form and gripped his side in pain. The wolf charged into Beast Boy and an uppercut, courtesy of its paw, collided with Beast Boy's jaw. He began to fly midair.

As she weakly attempted to get up from the ground, Raven held out a hand and conjured a black disc. Beast Boy landed on the object, breaking his fall, before he hit the ground.

"Thanks, Rae!" he shouted.

"Don't get used to it," Raven murmured, releasing the disc's hold on Beast Boy. His eyes widened and he dropped to the ground on his rear. Beast Boy frowned and rubbed his stinging backside.

Raven sidestepped to the left and ducked, just enough time to avoid the wolf as its claw passed a hair's breath from her face. Before she could counter the attack, the wolf swiftly jabbed Raven in the stomach with its long tail. She staggered back, as the wind was knocked out of her, and was stunned for a brief second. The loss of control and flurry of emotions caused Raven to lose her grip on her powers; the dome snapped and dispersed, leaving all three out in the open. By that time, the street had somewhat emptied—with an occasional citizen lingering around, in which Beast Boy was thankful for.

The battle had taken Raven to move away and her back pressed against a building's side wall. He was still open for more attacks, though she was beginning to tire. Her eyes flit over to Beast Boy as he was backing away from the wolf that stalked toward him.

"Beast Boy," she warned. "_Duck_!"

A quick blow had knocked Beast Boy in the chest and he doubled over. The wolf followed up with a quick slash to his face with its tail. Beast Boy's head whipped to the right, and he crumpled into a fetal position, spitting out remnants of blood from his mouth. He wiped the oozing red liquid that flowed from his lips with the back of his hand. Raven raced over to his side but was backhanded by the wolf's paw. Her back slammed against the wall and she groaned.

The wolf began to circle around Beast Boy's shivering body. He dipped his head low and snarled, baring his blood-stained teeth over rubbery gums.

"To kill you," he hissed. "Would be a pleasure. To lap the blood between my teeth, would be an _honor_."

The wolf lowered his head, brushing his teeth against Beast Boy's ear. A low growl emerged from his throat. "Do not die yet, _boy_. I want it to end slowly. I want to enjoy the taste of your flesh."

The small crowd, watching the fight, let out a collective wince for the changeling as the wolf dug its claws into Beast Boy's stomach. He began to twist the claws around and blood spattered the pavement from his pierced flesh. The wolf slowly lapped up the blood; a cold shiver running down his spine. He grinned.

"Mouthwatering."

Taking the opening to her advantage, Raven pushed off the wall and towards the wolf. The maneuver sent her diving near her foe. She flattened herself feet first, and opted to conjure dark tendrils to wrap around the wolf's neck.

The maneuver caught the wolf off guard as he was recovering from the brief strangulation. He clawed at the tendrils and broke free. The wolf used his momentum and jerked to the left and swung her around with its paw. When he was behind her, the wolf curled his tail, putting the weight of his swipe into a powerful throw.

Raven was pulled off her feet and was thrown across the pavement. She skidded uncontrollably along the concrete. She was stopped by a building's brick wall across from the battle. A low groan escaped her lips as the pain from the attack started to set in.

A bloodied Beast Boy limply rose from his spot and looked up at her. His eyes opened with surprise. The dirt from the ground had enmeshed with raw flesh and was stained with blood on her abdomen.

"_Raven_!"

She felt faint as numbness took control of her entire body. She gathered the energy to look down, to assess the wound. Glass shards had pierced into her, and blood oozed from the infliction. Her eyes trailed to the blood that splattered over glass strewn across the pavement. Raven ran her hand down her abdomen, dipping into the warm liquid. Blood wetted over her fingertips and Beast Boy used all his might to assist his teammate.

"I'm cut."

"Can you move?"

"Barely." Raven eyed the wolf that began to silently pad across the street, stealthily crouching behind Beast Boy. "I'll try to hold him off as long as I can. You need to move!"

"Not gonna happen." He shook his head, pressing his hand to his own wound. Beast Boy gazed at the thick blood on his palm and grimaced. "We've got to get out of here!"

"And leave him to slaughter these people?" Raven shouted. She winced when the cut began to sting and gripped her stomach. "Beast Boy, are you _insane_?"

"We don't have a choice. We need backup!" Beast Boy unclipped his communicator from his belt and began to page his teammates. "Robin, come in! Robin!"

The sound of static drowned out Robin's voice and Beast Boy growled, closing the lid of the communicator. "I can't get a signal!" He helped her up, slinging her arm over his shoulder. Raven pressed on her midsection. "Come on, we need to go!"

Blood slowly oozed out of the wound, in a small but relentless flow of red. She jerked back. "I'm not leaving—"

"Look, you stay here and you'll end up his lunch." Beast Boy pulled her forward. "We're going _now_!"

She looked at all of the fleeing, bloody citizens and nodded. Before the wolf could take one step toward them, Raven looked back and raised her hand.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she screamed.

There was a blast of bright light from her fingertips that made the buildings around them rattle. The wolf was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down to the ground. A stream of blood oozing from under his fur.

"He'll be out for a few minutes. It'll buy us time. Let's go!"

Beast Boy was retreating more quickly now, his eyes boring into the school building as he gripped her arm. His fingers dug into the fabric of her sleeve and they began to sprint away.

In the midst of it, a flood of screaming people came pouring from the door's entrance. People trampled over one another, covering the ground in leaps as they ran toward the two. Beast Boy and Raven quickened their pace. She narrowed her eyes at the crowd in front of her.

To her horror, Raven saw a man wrapped in the awakened wolf's paw and flung against a wall. The man grunted as be rose and took handfuls of its fur as he attempted to wrestle it to the ground. The wolf swat at him and snatched the man by his hair, bringing his face down sharply onto a concrete pillar. Blood flowed from the man's nose and he staggered backwards and fell limp. That seemed to be the end of the little scuffle. Then, it raced to a fleeing girl's side, and its strong jaws snapped at her face. A string of roars unraveled from his mouth as the creature advanced. Its green eyes shimmered with hot anger. Every step it took rattled his bones and left a deep crater in the pavement.

* * *

They rounded up as many people as they could and led them toward the pier. At least it would be at the far end of town and away from the school. Starfire ushered on a few schoolchildren before she heard footsteps.

"Robin, it is our friends!" Starfire called as she looked over her shoulder.

As Beast Boy and Raven approached the remaining Titans, Robin blew a sigh of relief. "You guys are safe. Good, I—

"You're bleeding!" Cyborg pushed aside his two teammates. His robotic fingers trailed the cuts on Beast Boy's face then he applied pressure to Raven's wound. "Get me a bandage!"

Starfire opened Cyborg's left arm compartment and proceeded to wrap Raven with a new bandage. Beast Boy ran his hand down his face and shook his head. Cyborg furrowed his brow. "What happened to you guys?!"

"Dude, it's—"

"It's a wolf," Raven interrupted. She unfastened her cloak as Starfire sat her down on the sidewalk. The Tamaranean moved quickly, letting the cloth of the bandage soak up the blood.

"Raven, are you certain?" she asked.

"It's a wolf." The three cast her a confused look. She shook her head. "I know. Perhaps a result from a chemical spill, I am unsure. I can't pick up much, but it is not human." She winced. "Too tight, Star."

"My apologies, Raven."

"Dude, we need to get all these people out of here," Beast Boy added, gesturing toward the frenzied crowd. "It's a slaughterhouse."

"I know." Robin nodded at Starfire when she looked up. After Raven was finished being bandaged, the two female Titans rose, waiting for further instructions. Robin scrunched his nose, contemplating what would be the safest task for his injured teammate and Starfire. "Star, I want you and Raven to get these people out of here. I don't care where you gather them, I just want them away from this thing."

"We will do our best," she replied before giving a nod of affirmation to Raven. The two took off toward the sky.

Robin sighed and faced his two remaining teammates. "Beast Boy, Cyborg, you're with me. Let's take this thing down. Anything you've got." He strode off, hands clenched around the bo-staff.

"Uh, hello Rob?!" Cyborg called behind him. "Big bad wolf, three little dudes. What if we _die_?!"

Robin smirked. "Not an option today, boys."

* * *

Some brain matter had been removed from the back of a man's skull and splattered across a brick wall. The body had slumped to the ground and his eye open, staring blankly at the male Titans. With each slain person they had passed, skin had been shredded off entirely; hearts had been cleaved from the body, arteries drained of fluid, and rib cages had been pried open. A police dog sprinted away at a furious pace, dragging the dead body of its owner violently from the ground; his foot had caught in the leash.

With silent steps, Beast Boy could feel a deep growl emerge from his throat as he approached the wolf. The one that he had scented, the one that had slaughtered innocent people. His eyes fell on its figure as it stared back at the green changeling, his heart no longer throbbed with fear but drenched with anger.

Its eyes bore into him and it grinned; bloody saliva dripping from between its teeth. The wolf took in a deep breath and chuckled lowly.

"You again?" it growled. "Back so suddenly."

Robin and Cyborg's eyes widened as they froze in place, glancing between their teammate and foe.

"Did it—"

"_Speak_?!"

The wolf's eyes flickered to the two new Titans before turning back to Beast Boy. "You brought company. The more, the merrier," he chided, taking a step forward. It began to sprint in Robin and Cyborg's direction. "However, I only want you."

The wolf lunged at Cyborg first and swiped at him with his paw. Cyborg didn't have time to react before his neck was wrapped around its paw. He was tossed forward and collided with top of a lamppost, denting much of his prosthetic armor. Cyborg groaned and slid to the ground. He pulled himself in a standing position, head lolling unpleasantly, as he readied his sonic cannon. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling before the wolf struck him again. Cyborg slammed into a wall, unmoving and unresponsive.

Where there should have been Cyborg's human eye, there was only bloody skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. His mouth—a gaping, shapeless hole, sucked the air with the sound of a death rattle.

A paralyzing terror filled Robin, in which he couldn't move or speak. He released his bo-staff and began to charge toward the wolf. Robin performed a handspring to his feet, coiled just under the wolf. The creature growled and began to swat at Robin's rising form. Robin grabbed the wolf by its leg and twisted. The wolf left out a cry as it angled head first toward the ground and fell. It quickly swiped Robin off his feet with its tail and striked him with its paw in a powerful uppercut. Robin's body few midair and he collided with the raised pavement. His head plowed through the concrete with a painful cracking sound as the ground cratered under the pressure. Robin rolled on his back and managed to ease himself up. He hung vertical, chest heaving as he breathed and bo-staff gripped around his hand, before he collapsed. Robin hit the ground in a crumbled position.

A pair of strong, clammy paws suddenly attached themselves around Robin's neck. They forced his face upward. He could feel the wolf's breath in warm puffs spread across his skin. He could feel its putrid breath, he could hear Beast Boy screaming in his ears. The wolf flung Robin headlong and he fell into a tangled heap atop a knocked out Cyborg.

"I had to rid of them first," he grumbled.

Beast Boy felt numb, he could not feel the screams around him or movement of his clenched fists. Paralyzed in fury, Beast Boy's eyes closed and the last thing he heard was Robin's faint voice scream his name.

Every word singed and fueled fire that burned inside of him. He clenched his fists tightly, causing blood to draw from his palms and his jaw rooted. He dropped to the ground as his primeval instinct took over. His eyes narrowed as the wolf continued to taunt him with low chuckles. A sneer formed on Beast Boy's face and he leaned forward, eyes bearing straight into the wolf's. His hands twitched and he could feel a vein pulsing in his forehead. Beast Boy closed in the distance between the wolf and himself. The wolf's eyes became dark, nearly black. It gazed at Beast Boy for a fraction of a second.

"The taste of your severed flesh between my teeth would satisfy me greatly." The beast stood, fangs protruded from its bloodthirsty mouth. A red, slimy substance dribbled down its matted fur. Beast Boy scowled. The wolf chuckled again, dipping its head to meet eye-level with the changeling. "Come closer, _boy_."

Beast Boy's arms began to quiver. A shudder rippled through him, along his shoulders and down his spine. He took a step forward.

"Beast Boy, get back!" Robin wheezed.

"BB, back away from that thing!"

Beast Boy shook his head back and forth, as though he were trying to fight against a force overwhelming him. He twisted his head toward the two, lips curling back in irritation. Beast Boy then shifted his glare in the wolf's. He took another step and put himself directly in front of it.

Another shuddery convulsion heaved through his body. Beast Boy threw his head back, a loud growl tearing from between his teeth.

"_My turn_."

"Beast Boy!" Robin and Cyborg shouted simultaneously.

Beast Boy fell forward, trembling violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud tearing noise, and his body lengthened. Dark green fur sprouted from Beast Boy, coalescing into a shape more than ten-times his normal size in a massive, crouched shape, ready to pounce.

The Beast's muzzle wrinkled back over his fangs, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark eyes focused the wolf. In the same second, the wolf was running across the road straight for the Beast.

Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down the Beast's spine. He leapt forward, diving headfirst into the air. With a sharp tearing sound, he burst out of the remnants of Beast Boy's skin—shreds green fur sprouting from his body into a fully transformed, gigantic werebeast.

The Beast met the wolf's attack head-on. Their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the trees.

"B!" Cyborg screamed again, staggering forward. Robin and Cyborg untangled themselves to reach their green teammate.

"Stay where you are, Cyborg," Robin ordered over the roar of the fighting beasts. "We've got to subdue them. Do you have the tranquilizer?"

Cyborg felt around his emergency compartment before he grabbed the needle and plunger. He nodded. "Yeah!"

Robin motioned for Cyborg to move away from the wrestling creatures. "Ready it now!"

They were snapping and tearing at each other. Sharp fangs flashed toward each one another's throat. The wolf seemed to have the upper hand, he was visibly stronger than the Beast. He rammed the Beast's shoulder with his head, knocking it back toward a brick wall.

"Hurry up, Cyborg! I've only got one shot," Robin shouted toward his teammate, who was preparing the injection and watching the conflict with a petrified expression.

"I'm trying! Give me five minutes!"

"You've got three!" Robin demanded.

The Beast had shoved the wolf off the street, and they disappeared behind the high school, though the sound of their snarls were still loud. Robin and Cyborg ran after them.

The growling and snapping faded into the distance. The Beast tried to dodge a swing from the wolf's massive claws, but it struck his side and he tumbled into the dirt. As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, it straddled the green whimpering werebeast and began to dig its claws into its flesh. The enormous Beast used all of its might and bounded forwards. As the Beast wrenched itself free of the wolf's hold, he seized it by the neck with his teeth and pulled it backwards, away from Robin and Cyborg. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other's fur.

There was a thunderous snarling noise as the Beast's head lengthened and its shoulders hunched. It curled its clawed paws and struck the wolf across its face. Blood splattered across the pavement as the wolf fell. The wolf was bleeding; there were gashes across his muzzle and back, but he scrambled up again. In an instant, the sound of his paws faded to silence as he pounded away across the ground. The Beast struck at the creature again and again, pounding it with fists to a limped pulp on the pavement. The Beast gripped the wolf by the neck with its teeth and the wolf was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall. It then slid down it to the floor, whimpering lowly as a trickle of blood oozed from under its fur. With a deafening roar, the Beast slowly approached his befallen foe, preparing for a second round of attack. He began to straddle the wolf and slashed at him relentlessly. He gripped it by the sides of its jaw and tried to pry the wolf's mouth open to rip it away.

Cyborg stood, transfixed by the sight with the tranquilizer in hand, too intent upon the battle to notice anything else. It was Robin's scream that startled him.

"Cyborg, do it _now_!"

"I—I can't! BB's in the way!"

"_Cyborg_!"

"I—"

As the Beast raised its paw to strike again, Robin had dived for Cyborg's tranquilizer gun. Cyborg, unsteady on his leg, fell. There was a bang, a small 'thwip' sound and the Beast lay motionless on the ground. Another bang and the wolf jumped up and took off, limply galloping away from the scene.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg yelled, scrambling to his feet. He pointed at Robin. "You shot him!"

"Stay where you are, Cyborg. That's an order!" Robin shouted, running forward to the staggering werebeast.

"Beast Boy, can you hear me?"

There was a howl and a rumbling roar; the Beast lifted from the ground slowly before drunkenly dropping forward. Robin turned to stare at him; his eyes felt frozen beneath his mask.

Beast Boy, still in Beast form, had been knocked out. He could hear nothing but the yells of his teammates. He felt the cold ground press against his form and he drowsily blinked. The Beast looked upward at the sky before sleep overtook him and he closed his eyes.

* * *

The jungle had an onslaught assaults on all of his senses. Each virescent hues suffocated Beast Boy. The canopy of large trees were as high up as he could possibly see. Humidity pressed in on his sweaty skin, intermingling with the blood dripping down him arm. Sounds of various insects, birds, amphibians, and mammals created a sweet melody. They sounded more cheerful, perhaps happy to see him, as he ventured deeper. Thick leaves brushed up against his body and he nearly tripped over his feet when vines sprang up. Beast Boy's tongue hung from his mouth and he took in deep, raspy breaths.

He ran through the jungle and then halfway down the path that lead to the stone monolith. Beast Boy entered the cave and threw himself to the ground, clutching his arm and rolling in agony. The wound was deep. It stung and burned.

In the distance, he thought he heard a cackle, only to recognize the loud squawks of BB—followed by Gar. The parrot landed gently on the ground next to Beast Boy and pecked at his forehead.

"Found him, found him!" it squawked.

"_Dude_, would you stop doing that?!" Beast Boy shrieked, shooing the parrot away with his free hand.

He took in deep breaths, chest heaving up and down in rapid succession. Gar sat next to the green changeling and stroked his hair. Beast Boy smiled. "Thanks, buddy. It's gonna be okay."

"I know," Gar replied. The little boy shrugged his shoulders. "You're sleeping."

It had been reassuring to know that he was back in his mind, unconscious in the physical world, than dead.

If only he knew how he entered.

The wind was chilly, and the stars burned with green pallor of light. The atmosphere was dead and empty. Darkness began to consume daylight. There was a quick flicker of yellow light. A soft glow of fireflies illuminated the dark atmosphere with its warm light. Beast Boy sighed.

"Where is he?"

"Sleeping too. He's tired," Gar whispered, pointing in the direction of a sleeping, yet bruised, Beast. Gar glanced back at Beast Boy.

"He was right," Beast Boy murmured. "About—everything"

"That doggy was scary."

"Yeah?" Beast Boy quirked an eyebrow at the young boy. He propped up on his elbows. "More scary than the Beast?"

"Uh huh." Gar nodded. "I'm scared."

"Scary story, scary story!" BB squealed. Gar shrieked and covered his ears. "Big bad wolf, big bad wolf."

"Don't listen to him. There's nothing to be scared of," Beast Boy assured Gar. He glared at the parrot. "There's no story of a big bad—"

He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening as he processed BB's words.

Story.

_Story_.

Wolf.

Little Red Riding Hood.

_Raven's book_.

Beast Boy's face paled; he ran his hands over his face and groaned.

"Oh no.."

* * *

Starfire moved in silence as she drew pipettes of fluid from one bag and transferred it to another.

"Is this enough, Raven?"

Blue, translucent light fizzled out from Raven's fingertips. She bandaged the changeling's arm and glanced over at Starfire filling the IV bag. Raven nodded.

The hum of heavy machinery was like a soft whisper for the two women. The aroma of the bleach with a hint of pine filled the room. Beast Boy lay in the hospital bed, eyes shut and body motionless. Starfire leaned over Raven's shoulder as the empath began to heal the cuts on his forehead.

"That is the most peaceful I have seen our friend within the past week," Starfire murmured, brushing strands of stray hair away from his face. "It burdens me to see him so—troubled."

Raven did not respond.

Starfire sighed and backed away. "Perhaps if only I could read minds, I would clear away the troubles." She patted Raven's shoulder. "Goodnight. Please do not attempt to partake in the all-nighter. You must rest and heal, Raven."

"I will. Just give me five more minutes," Raven replied. Starfire nodded and exited the infirmary.

Her gaze trailed from the doors to the crackly energy surging from her fingertips. She contemplated for a second before pressing them against Beast Boy's temples.

"Perhaps I can," she sighed. "Alright, Beast Boy, let's take a look. What's going on?"

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she focused all of her energy on his mindscape. Only did her eyes open when the energy dispersed. She tried again, this time chanting her mantra; the overuse of powers resulted in a small, painful zap. Her eyebrows furrowed as she assessed her barren fingers.

"Either, it's not working—" She looked up at his immobile face and narrowed her eyes. "Or I'm locked out."

Raven shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't have been locked out; that kind of skill would take years to master—one that she had yet to fully grasp. It was impossible. Beast Boy never had a mindscape. Raven pressed her forefingers against his temple a third time and let the blue light embark across his skin. Just when she thought she found an opening, the energy powered down. She sighed defeatedly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"_Fine_, then I won't."

With a shrug, Raven scooted out of her chair and stifled a yawn. Perhaps it was best that she followed Starfire's instructions and went to bed. She began to exit the infirmary and turned off the light-switch before she left.

As Beast Boy lay in the hospital bed, his fingers started to twitch.

* * *

_"Fear isn't so difficult to understand. After all, weren't we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It's just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual."_

_—Alfred Hitchcock_


End file.
